Secrets
by Lovely Dork
Summary: Edd and Kevin both have a secret self that they hide from their classmates. What happens when a dodge ball accident brings them together?
1. Chapter 1

Lovely Dork here. So this is my first fanfic in a LONG TIME. But I've been so inspired by the kevedd fanfic that I've been reading lately and I __had__ to write my own. So forgive me if I am a little rusty! :)

Thanks, loves!

It was the first day of school in Peach Creek. Most students were just starting to rub the sleep out of their eyes and start getting ready to see old friends and meet new teachers. Well, most students were just getting up. Eddward Vincent had been awake since 4 in the morning. He had always been an early riser, but this was extremely early even for him. Edd couldn't help but be excited for his senior year.

He had all AP classes (except for gym- much to his misery). He had already taken the SAT in the spring and scored the highest in his school. That being said, he was still looking forward to trying to beat the incredibly high bar he had set for himself. He still had his two best friends, Ed and Eddy. Although he saw less of them since the end of their junior year. Eddy had been working odd jobs to start saving up for a car. He might of had the money by now if not for his impulsive shopping, smoking habit, and his sweet tooth. Ed also had taken to working this summer. Rolf needed an extra hand on the farm, and Ed was more than happy to help since he got to "play" with the chickens. Double D could not understand why in the world any sane person would want to "play" with a filthy germ carrying animal. To each their own.

There was one more reason that Edd was excited about his senior year. High school was almost over. Edd had been daydreaming more than ever about being on a college campus. People with like minds walking to and from classes. Not only that, but he could leave this small town in his dust. He loved his friends and some of the memories they had created, but he could not be himself. Edd had known he was a homosexual for years now. Nobody else knew though. He wanted to confide in his friends, but two things held him back. Firstly, Ed could not keep a secret to save his life. Edd had made it this long with nobody finding out, he was going to make it to the end of the year. Secondly, he was not sure how Eddy would receive his news. He wanted to believe that his friend would not care about his sexuality but if he did not take it well, Edd wanted to not have to see him every day in the halls of Peach Creek High School.

Edd pulled his infamous beanie over his head and looked in the mirror. This was something he did not make a habit of doing. Edd knew he was not hideous but he hated a couple of things about himself. He loathed that damned gap in his teeth. He also hated the __thing__ he kept hidden under his hat. No need to dwell on that though. With a deep breathe, Edd walked out of his bathroom and descended the stairs. A yellow post it note caught Eddward's eye as he went to grab a cup of mixed fruit out of the refrigerator.

Eddward-

Have a great first day of school! Your father and I will not be home for the next couple of weeks. We did not want to wake you just to say goodbye.

-Mother

Edd wadded up the note and threw it in the trash bin. He loved his parents but did not miss them when they were absent. When they were home, it felt like they were in his way and infringing on his space. They were gone most of the time and still kept in touch via text. They had began working at the University in Big Apple when Edd was still in middle school. They had initially wanted to move Edd to the city with them, but Edd had proven his independence and had given them a fifteen minute power point presentation on how damaging it could be for a young person to change schools at his age. Not only that but to go from a small town to a large city. Whatever he did worked. As long as Edd maintained the house and kept his grades at near perfection, they allowed him to pretty much live on his own. Although they came to check on him and spend the weekend with him every now and again.

Savage knocking at the front door almost made Edd jump out of his skin. Eddward peaked through the window to see Ed and Eddy.

"You know, you could knock a little more politely." said Double D as he opened the front door.

"Sorry, sockhead. You can teach me the right way to knock a damn door later. You got any breakfast?" said Eddy as he pushed past Edd and made his way to the kitchen.

"Yeah Double D! Do you have any buttered toast?" asked Ed with a grin spread across his face.

"Help yourself, gentlemen." said Double D as he mentally made a note to clean the kitchen when he got home from school.

"I'm so fucking stoked, guys. Senior year! We are going to rule the school!" exclaimed Eddy as he threw a couple of poptarts in the toaster. Edd did not care for the pastries himself, but he knew Ed and Eddy like them.

"Language, Eddy. I have to say I am rather excited myself. My classes are going to be quite challenging and I think-"

"Of course you're excited for the actual classes. No, Double D! Haven't you seen the movies? This is the year that we go to parties! Get a little action...if you catch my drift." said Eddy has he raised he eyebrows.

"I catch your meaning, Eddy. Good luck with your endeavors. You will of course have to have Ed accompany you. You know I am not one for parties or really crowds in general."

"You're a fucking buzz kill." said Eddy.

Across the cul de sac, Kevin was still fighting with himself to wake up. He had spent most of the summer not getting up until noon. He might regret not listening to his mother and getting up early last week to get used to it. He glanced at his phone and saw he had four texts from Nazz.

Nazz: U up dude? Wanna ride together?

Nazz: Duuuuuuuude are you still asleep?

Nazz: kevin wake the hell up or I will come drag ur ass out of bed! .

Nazz: OMW to your house. Using my spare key

He smiled. That was just like Nazz. Kevin's parents had divorced when was a freshman in high school. He lived with his dad but he still talked with his mom every day. Even if it was just a text. Kevin's dad worked at the factory in town and so he was always up and out the door before the sun even came up. Ever since his mom moved out, Nazz took it upon herself to make sure Kevin was out of bed every morning. Kevin's father thought it would help if she had a spare key.

"Hey! Kevin! Are you decent?" yelled Nazz from the stairs.

"I'm never decent!" joked Kevin, "Also I'm naked. Give me a sec!"

Kevin rolled out of bed and groaned. He staggered to his dresser and started throwing on the first things he could find. "Okay I'm covered up."

"Dude we have to leave. Like now. Right now." said Nazz impatiently as she opened his bedroom door and sat on his bed. Kevin looked over at the clock on his bedside and she wasn't wrong.

"Shit. One second." Kevin ran into the bathroom. He peed and rinsed his mouth out with mouthwash.

"Let's ride, Nazz." said Kevin as he grabbed his worn red baseball cap and slapped over his mess of orange hair.

"You know, your shirt is on backwards." said Nazz and she started walking downstairs.

"Shit." sighed Kevin. He hated mornings. At least Nazz was there to make it better. "Hey wait up! Are we taking my bike today?"

"Nah. Let's take my car. I worked really hard on my hair this morning." said Nazz and they walked out Kevin's front door.

"Since when did you start caring about your hair?"

"Since Daniel has three classes with me. We've been texting and he told me he was looking forward to seeing me today." she blushed. Kevin never really saw Nazz act like a girl. Like a girly girl. She had always been a tomboy and Kevin's best friend. Even now she was wearing converse, faded jeans, and black t shirt. Not exactly the girliest outfit. But her hair had been straightened and sprayed down to the point where a hurricane probably couldn't move it. She also had her makeup done, and opted for lots of eyeliner and mascara.

"You know he's on the football team. I know that guy. He's super cocky and thinks he is God's gift to women. He's a douche."

"He is not! You think everyone is a douche. You know you're not perfect yourself, Kev."

"What are you saying? I'm freaking perfect." Kevin flexed his muscles are they approached Nazz's beat up blue car. It was small, scratched, and perfect for Nazz. If she scraped a cart at the mall parking lot, it just blended in with the rest of the dents and scratches.

"Uh-huh." Nazz opened the driver's door and waited for Kevin to throw his backpack in the back seat.

"Oh yes you're the perfect man. The perfect man who likes men and has zero interest in me. So get off my back and let me talk to Daniel. I know he's cocky. Maybe I'm attracted to his confidence."

"Hey can it on the gay talk." said Kevin as he looked around.

"Oh puh-leez Kevin. Nobody is around. We are in my car. Safe and sound. I swear, Kev. You are so far in the closet, it's ridculous."

"What? No Narnia jokes?"

"Not today. I skipped the coffee this morning. I'm not on my A game. Anyway, Daniel is a sweet guy. You know all that cockiness is just a front. He isn't like that when it's just us."

"I didn't know you had spent that much time with him."

"Here and there. Whenever I'm not hanging out with your ass." laughed Nazz. "Oh speaking of which, my cousin restocked my liquor supply. So are we on for movies this Saturday?"

"Duh."

Edd walked into his AP Chemistry class. Which only had fifteen students in it. Classes were small anyway, but this was pretty bare. It was his next to last class of the day and the one he had been looking forward to all day. Edd took his favorite seat. The middle seat in the front row, right in front of the board. The teacher was a pretty redhead in her mid-thirties. Edd had her the previous year for Physical Science. She was very intelligent and Edd loved to listen to her speak. She was the only one who got as excited about chemical equations as he did. Time flew as Mrs. Greene spoke and went over the syllabus. When the bell rang, Edd felt his stomach drop. It was time for Physical Education. Far from Edd's favorite thing.

Edd ran into the bathroom in the gym to change his clothes and stood by the bleachers as the others started grouping up. Nobody Edd cared to talk to was in this class. The only person from the cul de sac that was in the class was Kevin. Edd envied Kevin. He had many friends that talked to him as they waited for the coach to tell them what sort of torture they would be enduring that day.

"Alright, kids. We are going to have an easy day today to get the muscles warmed up. I was thinking about a good game of dodge ball. How does that sound?" said Coach Miller.

The students shouted in agreement. Except Edd he felt like he was going to be sick. Dodging germ infested red spheres did not sound like a good way to spend the end of his school day. Maybe he could get knocked out early and sit out the rest of the period. Edd was not athletically inclined at all, and really had no interest in becoming so.

Coach Miller picked two students. Nobody Double D knew by name. They started picking teams.

 _ _God, this is torture__ , thought Edd as he waited. When he was finally picked last, the game began. There was yelling, swearing, a red balls whizzing past Double D and hitting the wall behind him with loud __BANG__! Edd was managing to stay out the balls path. Students started being picked off one by one.

"Hey guys! Quit throwing those balls so hard! Don't try to hurt anybody!" said Coach Miller as the dodge balls starting slapping against the wall louder and louder. Edd had wanted to be knocked out early but it was easier said than done. He just naturally avoided being hurt. _ _Oh lord, when will this barbaric game be over,__ Edd thought. And then he felt the ball connect with his face. He had never seen it coming. It was hard enough that he fell to the floor and laid on his back.

"Damn it, Barr! What did I say?" said Coach Miller as he ran to the slender kid's side. "Just stay there for a second, Vincent."

"Shit! I'm sorry, Double Dork!" said Kevin as he followed behind the coach. Kevin could already see that his nose was bleeding.

"Oh Lord." groaned Edd. Pain started throbbing in his face. One of the kids brought the coach a clean white towel and he put it up his nose.

"Come on, kid. Get up and get to the nurse. I think you may have broken your nose." said Coach Miller as he helped Eddward to his feet.

"Here. I'll help you." said Kevin as he started walking Edd to the nurse. Eddward didn't know what to say to the boy who just possibly disfigured his face.

"Listen, dude, I am really sorry. Like really sorry. I didn't think it was going to hit you! You moved just right in it's way." said Kevin after a minute of awkward silence.

"My apologies that my face got in the way of your ball." said Eddward sarcastically.

"Oh god, that came out wrong. Shit. I really am sorry Double D." said Kevin sincerely.

Edd looked at Kevin. Really looked at him. Those green eyes really did seem to hold sincerity behind them.

"I suppose it was an accident. I can get myself to the nurse. You don't have to walk me."

"Yeah I do. I feel awful."

"I'm suprsied you feel so badly about this, Kevin. I would have thought you would have just laughed and continued on with your friends."

"You must not think much of me."

"Well you did used to give me a hard time when we were younger. And that is putting it lightly."

"Yeah...That had more to do with that idiot, Eddy. I don't know why but when he opens his mouth, I just want to deck him."

"I would like it if you would not insult my friends, Kevin. He may be difficult to tolerate sometimes, but he is a good person."

"If you say so, Dork."

"So if you don't hate me, then may I ask why you insist calling me names?"

"Oh! I guess I don't think about it. It's just second nature to give people nicknames. I don't mean to be an ass about it. I can quit." said Kevin as he smiled. That smile sent Double D's heart aflutter. He suppressed the feeling and smiled back though Kevin could not see it through the bloodied towel.

"I supposed it is alright since I know that you mean nothing by it."

"Sweet. Look, I would like to make this up to you. I just don't know how."

"You don't have to do anything, Kevin. You're apology was enough." said Edd as the approached the nurse's office. "I can go in by myself. Thank you for accompanying me. Your concern is appreciated."

"No problem. Hey, let me see your hand."

Edd reluctantly held out his hand that wasn't currently holding the towel under his nose. Kevin took a pen out of his pocket and scribbled some numbers on his hand. Edd's heart skipped a beat. Mostly because Kevin was taking a pen to his skin. He would have to wash off that ink later. What a mess. Or maybe he was just being dramatic. The other reason his heart skipped was because Kevin was touching his hand. He was practically holding it.

"This is my number. Text me later and let me know if your nose is okay." said Kevin and started walking back to class.

Did Edd just make friend?

Okay Loves, that's all I've got for now. I hope you enjoyed the first chapter! I hope to post a second chapter soon! Reviews are appreciated! :)

~ Lovely Dork ~


	2. Chapter 2

"I can't believe shovel-chin almost broke your nose." said Eddy as they sat in Edd's living room getting ready to watch a monster movie of Ed's choice.

"I do believe it was an accident Eddy. And the most important thing is it will only leave a bruise. It very easily could have been fractured." said Edd as he touched the tender area on his face.

"That's not the point. I bet he did it on purpose. He has always been an asshole."

"He did apologize."

"Well, just watch yourself. Ed what the hell kind of movie did you pick?"

"Squids from Mars, Eddy! The alien squids have come to eat all the brains on Earth!" Ed never took his eyes off of the screen.

"Well it seems they have already started with you, monobrow." scoffed Eddy.

The threesome dispersed after the movie came to it's gory conclusion, the Earth attacked back and eliminated the squid people. Edd didn't have any homework, as it was only the first day of classes, but he wanted to get ahead on a few future assignments before bed. As he took out his phone, he looked at the smudged ink on his hand. Kevin had asked him to text him to let him know that he was okay. It was the polite thing to do.

Unknown number: Salutations Kevin! I was just texting you to let you know my nose was not broken. The bleeding stopped pretty soon after I got to the nurse. So all is well! I appreciate the concern.

Kevin looked at his phone. What do you know? The dork actually thought to message him.

Kevin: thats awesome.

Kevin sent the text and then stared at his phone. He debated for a while before sending another.

Kevin: What r u up to tonight?

Double D: Getting started on a few assignments. And yourself?

Kevin: Just watching some tv. U already got homework on the first day? That blows.

Double D: Well I like to be ahead. Nothing is really due yet.

Kevin: Wow. I wish I was like that. I didn't open some of textbooks last year...not the best student. Im actually stressing about my chemistry class.

Double D: Oh I love chemistry! If you ever need any help let me know! I'm a great tutor. Not to boast but I'm the one who got Eddy through Algebra.

Kevin laughed as he read the text. A tutor, huh? Probably couldn't hurt.

Kevin: that would be great DD. First quiz is monday over the first chapter.

Double D: How about a study session Friday after school?

Kevin: Sounds like a plan...well ill let you back to ur homework. Night

Double D: Goodnight, Kevin.

Double D stared at his phone. This was the first time he had plans on a Friday that didn't include Ed and Eddy. Of course it was a simple study date. Still though, Edd was happy to have made a new friend.

The next few days went by pretty uneventfully. Edd had gotten a free pass from Coach Miller to sit out of any sport that might end up with him getting hit in the face again. At least until the bruises from the first injury went away.

"Hey, Kev. What are you doing tonight?" asked Nazz and Kevin grabbed some things out of his locker.

"Not really sure. Double D is supposed to help me with some chemistry crap but I'm not sure how long that will take."

"Double D? Since when did you two start hanging out?"

"I told you about me nailing him in the face with that dodge ball. Well I gave him my number and asked him to text me to let me know if it was broken. We talked a little about school and he offered to help. Probably would have told you more but you've been __busy__ after school." said Kevin as they started walking to Nazz's clunker of a car.

"I know, I know. I haven't been paying enough attention to you. Poor baby." she teased.

"Whatever. So things are going good with doucheface?"

"Just call me Mrs. Douchface."

Kevin gave a sarcastic laugh. Kevin's phone went off with a bright chirp after they got on the road heading back to the cul de sac.

Double D: Salutations, Kevin. Where would you like to meet? You can come over to my house if you wish.

Kevin: Sounds good. Nazz is about to drop me off.

"Who's that?" asked Nazz as she leaned over.

"Hey! Look at the road, Nazz! I would like to make it graduation. It's Double Dork. We are meeting at his place."

"So you two are friends. Hm."

"What?"

"Well you know I have the best gaydar in Peach Creek. And I hear sirens every time I see him."

"No he went out with that Kanker girl before they moved last year, didn't he?"

"Yeah for like a week. That doesn't mean anything. Do you like him? I totally think you would make a cute couple. Very Romeo and Juliet. Jockeo and Nerdiet. I like it."

"Yeah I don't think he is. I think he is just...you know...Double D. Besides I don't even like him like that."

"Oh why? He is super cute! Well whatever, dude. Do whatever you want. I'm just saying."

"Yeah you say a lot of things."

Not long after that, Nazz let Kevin out in front of Edd's house. He grabbed his backpack and waved goodbye to Nazz. "See you tomorrow night."

"Greetings, Kevin." said Double D as he let Kevin in. "Would like something to drink?"

"Nah. Thanks though, dude. Spiffy place you've got here. Are your parents home?"

"No they are not. They work in Big Apple and they only come home about one weekend a month."

"Oh wow. So you live here by yourself? That's crazy, dude."

"I prefer it that way. I like being independent."

"I get that."

Two excruciating hours later, Kevin was ready to set his chemistry book on fire. "I hate chemistry. I hate school. I hate. Just hate...that's the only emotion I can feel right now." He said as he banged his head softy on Edd's kitchen table.

"Oh it isn't all that bad. It's mostly memorization. It just takes time. You will get it."

"Thanks for the encouragement. At least someone in this room thinks I can pass with better than a D."

"I think you can get an A if you apply yourself."

"Double D, the eternal optimist."

"That's me!" said Double D with a smile. That smile with that gap. Nazz was right, the kid was cute. He was pretty scrawny but it suited his frame. And he had a few sprigs of black hair that poked out from under his beanie that framed his face well. He had quite a good looking face...you know if it wasn't for the faded purple and yellow bruise the stretched across the middle of his face.

"Okay dude. This is all I can take of this. Let's do something else. Like anything else in the world." said Kevin as he pushed the book to the side.

"What do you recommend?" asked Edd slightly taken aback. He had assumed Kevin was just wanting his assistance with his homework. But Kevin actually wanted to hang out with him. Edd felt himself get excited at the idea of being able to spend time with Kevin. If he was honest with himself, he had a crush on Kevin. He had always found Kevin attractive, but after the concern Kevin showed him on Monday, it developed into quite the crush. Edd had to remind himself that this was Kevin Barr, one of the most popular people in school. So it was better to suppress his feelings and just be Kevin's friend. There is no way the star quarterback was a homosexual. And even if he was... Kevin was gorgeous. He had muscles from years of working out and playing sports. Freckles dotted his face from the exposure to the sun, and they really suited him. His eyes were a deep green...oh those eyes. __There is no way he would ever be attracted to someone like me__...

"Dee? Are you listening to me?"

"Oh my apologies, Kevin! My mind drifted..." Double D blushed slightly.

"I was saying how there was a movie downtown that I have been wanting to see. I was going to see it with Nazz but she blew me off to hang out with her boyfriend. Do you want to go?...I mean if you aren't doing anything tonight."

"A movie? What kind of movie?"

"Eh action thriller kind of stuff. It looks pretty sweet." Kevin took out his phone and checked to see what time the movie started.

"Not usually my taste in movies, but that sounds wonderful. And I am completely free. Eddy has to work tonight and Ed has an engagement with his family."

"Cool. Well lets head out. It doesn't start for another forty-five minutes, but I like to get there early and answer all the movie trivia. We can take my dad's car. He should be home by now." said Kevin who would have preferred to take his motorcycle. But Double D didn't seem like the motorcycle type of guy.

"Sounds wonderful, Kevin."

~ Approximately 122 action packed minutes later~

"I just didn't care for that ending. It is highly unlikely that a man who had been shot that many times would still be able to snap a man's neck like that." said Double D as they started walking away from their seats, "I mean surely his body would have gone into shock."

"See you're thinking too much into it. It's a movie. Real world rules don't apply to movies." said Kevin as he threw away his soda cup and the empty popcorn bucket.

"Yes but they could still make more of an effort to make it realistic.." grumbled Double D.

"Kevin! Hey, man!" said a voice from down the hall of the theater.

"Hey, Michael! What's up, dude?" said Kevin as he turned towards his teammate. Michael was a large male and one who had given Edd trouble in the past. Edd started getting nervous as the linebacker approached them and noticed Edd was standing next to Kevin.

"Uh... you know... came to see that new slasher flick. What are you doing with this fag?"

"Oh hey dude! That's not cool. Dee is my friend. He's been my neighbor for years."

"I didn't know you had such lousy taste in friends. But whatever dude. Just never seen you together. Anyway, don't waste your money if you are thinking about going to see Scream House 7... totally dumb. Oh hey, I gotta go. Girlfriend is about to leave without me." said Michael as he ran towards the petite brunette tapping her foot by the front door.

"Sorry about that dude." said Kevin as they started walking again.

"It's quite alright." said Edd embarrassed.

"But like...it's not. Not even a little bit. He doesn't need to talk to you that way."

"To be honest, I'm used to it. I've never been what you may call __manly__. So I've been the butt of many jokes. But I have found that it is better to just keep going and try to ignore it."

"Yeah those guys can be asses. I mean they aren't bad guys... I guess it's hard to see that when they acting that way."

"Yes. I suppose I would just have to take your word when you said he is a good person." Double D said as he snapped his seat belt on. Kevin reached in the console and grabbed his dad's cigarettes and lit one.

"You don't mind, do you?" said Kevin as he rolled down the window.

"No it's quite alright. I had to get used to it when Eddy started smoking. I don't care for it myself, but I won't say anything if you want to."

"Sweet." said Kevin as he took a deep puff off the cigarette and blew the smoke out the window. Edd really did mind but he didn't want to be one of those people. He pushed thoughts of the dangers of smoking and second hand smoke out of his head.

"Anyway, I know those guys are asses but at least we only have this last year."

Double D;s eyes lit up, "Oh yes! I am so excited for college. Have you thought about where you might be attending?"

"Well I don't know if I'm smart enough for college. I'm pretty sure I can get a football scholarship for State though. Dad wants me to go. He has worked in a factory his whole life and doesn't want that for me. But I just don't know."

"I think you could do it. You are more intelligent than you think you are."

"If you say so." laughed Kevin. Kevin found himself really enjoying Double D's company. He was easy to talk to (even if Kevin didn't understand some of the words he said now and again). And he was cute. Really damn cute. Kevin found himself saying words before he could stop them, "Double D I have to ask. Are you gay?"

"Wh-why do you ask?" Double D asked as his heart sank to his stomach. He had never had anyone ask him so directly. Actually he had managed to get away with never having to actually lie about his sexuality. Eddy gave him a hard time about not being interested in getting girls, but Edd just blamed that on his dedication to school. A lot of students at school just assumed he was. Some whispered when they thought he wasn't listening and some of the brutes just called him derogatory names. But not one person just said, "Are you gay?"

"I mean you don't have to answer. I just want to know. Actually I'm sorry I asked...that was really rude." he said beating himself up internally. He was such an idiot sometimes. He threw his finished cigarette out the window and rolled it up.

Edd was tempted to say no. To deny it and act offended that he would even ask. Kevin had been so kind to him though. Perhaps it wouldn't matter. Maybe he wasn't like his teammates. But what if he told him his secret and he told the whole school? It was different for people to suspect it and another for Kevin to validate it...but was he really like that? Edd didn't want to think so. They sat there in silence for a couple minutes while Edd debated in his head. They were going to be approaching the cul de sac pretty soon.

With a shaky voice he finally decided to answer him, "Y...yes. I am, Kevin." His hand began to shake a little. It was the first time he had ever said it out loud. He felt like he was about to have a panic attack. "I hope this doesn't affect our friendship and please don't tell anybody."

Kevin rolled up to a stoplight and turned towards Edd. His face was red and Kevin could see his hands tremble ever so slightly. "It would be pretty shitty of me if I told anyone or let that affect our friendship...but dude I got to be honest with you. It would be super shitty since I'm gay too."

Double D turned his head towards Kevin in utter disbelief, "Are you mocking me?"

"God no, Dee! Why would you think that?"

"You can't be a homosexual. There is no way. Females are always swarming around you. And you're Kevin!"

"Yeah so? What I can't be gay because I play sports and girls think I'm attractive?"

"No that isn't what I meant...Well maybe it was. I know that is a stereotype. I don't know...So you really are?"

Kevin took a deep breathe, "Yes. Yes I am, Edd."

It was the first time that he called him Edd.


	3. Chapter 3

"Dude, say something. You're stressing me out." said Kevin as he went to light another cigarette. His dad was definitely going to notice that more than one was missing, but at this moment Kevin couldn't give less of a damn.

"I'm sorry. I guess I am just surprised. Does anybody else know?"

"Nazz. She's the only one. She has known for...well I guess for a while now." said Kevin as he intentionally missed the turn off for the cul de sac. They were going to need some time to talk this out and Kevin thought the best place would be in a moving vehicle. He and Nazz often rode around in her vehicle or his dad's for hours just so they could talk without having to worry about being overheard by their parents.

"I see." said Edd nervously. He wasn't sure why he was still so anxious.

"You?"

"Hmm?"

"I mean, does anybody know about you?"

"No...nobody."

"I'm surprised you haven't told dumb and dumber... Sorry. I mean Ed and Eddy."

Edd decided to let the comment slide, "I think Eddy has suspicions. He often comments in my lack of interest in dating, but I usually just blame it on school. He has never out and asked though. And Ed...is just that. He is Ed. He isn't exactly the most observant fellow."

"That's an understatement, Double Dork." said Kevin as he took another deep inhale. Edd smiled at the use of the nickname that had been given to him years ago. It felt more familiar than hearing Kevin say his own name. "It actually feels pretty good to out and say it.. ya know?"

"In a way, I suppose. I still feel like my heart is going to beat out of my chest."

"I'm not going to tell anybody. I promise. And I know that you wont tell nobody."

"Of course, Kevin."

There was a few beats of silence as they struggled to find something to say.

"Let's talk about something else for a while. I'm not ready to go home. Let's ride around for a while."

"That actually sounds wonderful." said Edd as he started to relax a little.

"So tell me about your parents. How did you manage to convince them to let you live there by yourself?"

"Well, I've always been an independent person. That is how my parents raised me. It really didn't take much convincing. They have never been around very much. Also, I don't think that really wanted to bother with me. I have been conversing with them through texts, emails, and post it notes for as long as I can remember. "

"That doesn't bum you out?"

"Not really. Is that strange? It sounds terrible of me for me to say that out loud. It is just that my parents have never been the typical loving type. Father has always been quiet. The only time he really speaks is to inform me of my mistakes. Mother is not as judgmental I suppose, but she is still hard to take."

"I don't think it sounds terrible, Dee."

"Thank you. What about your parents?"

Kevin sighed deeply. Where to start? "Well I love my parents of course. They just didn't care for each other. They argued a lot when I was growing up. I think they tried to stay together for me. Big laugh though, because I knew they were miserable. I didn't understand why they didn't just get a divorce. But then mom met a guy at work and began sleeping with him while dad was at work. He came home one day and found them. She left that night."

"But you decided to stay with your father?"

"Yeah... I mean don't get me wrong, Mom and I still talk all the damn time. But my dad and I are just close. He knows everything about me. Well...almost everything." laughed Kevin and threw out the cigarette. "He's my best friend I guess. He taught me how to fix cars and helped me buy my motorcycle. And mom has that guy. Dad doesn't have anybody. Wow."

"What is it, Kevin?"

"I've just never talked about my parents like this to anybody. I mean Nazz knows whats going on but I've never really _talked_ about it." said Kevin. Edd and Kevin rode around for about an hour talking until Kevin decided it was probably about time to be getting back. They talked about a little bit of everything. They didn't have many common interests, but still found things to talk about. Kevin pulled into the garage. Double D didn't want to get out of the car. It felt like his whole world had been turned on it's head. Everything felt different and he didn't know where to go from there.

"Hey Double D, let me walk you home." said Kevin as he opened the car door. They walked to his house without saying a word. There was tension in the air. An awkwardness that Edd could not put his finger on.

"Can I come in for a second?" Kevin asked, breaking the silence. Edd nodded and motioned for him to come inside. Kevin walked in and turned towards Edd. As soon as the door was closed, Kevin pushed Edd into the door and pressed his lips to his. At first Edd was in shock and almost started pushing him away. But then he realized what was going on. Kevin Barr was kissing him. Was he dreaming?

Kevin's face had a little stubble and scratched Edd's own face in a delightful way. The kiss deepened and turned into a little something more. Edd gave an involuntary moan as Kevin pushed his tongue into the dorks mouth. Kevin smelled and tasted a little bit like the menthol cigarettes that he smoked. Edd expected it to be unpleasant, but it really wasn't.

Kevin turned Edd towards the couch and they moved their make out session to Edd's pristine tan sofa. Kevin leaned up and pushed the throw pillows in the floor. Edd pretended not to notice. He didn't want to push Kevin away just to pick pillows off the floor.

"You're so fucking cute." said Kevin and started nibbling at Edd's neck as he straddled him. The action sent delightful chills down his spine and he shuddered. An erection was pushing against his black denim pants. _Oh lord,_ thought Edd. Kevin started to rub his hand against Edd's erection over his jeans. As much as Edd did not want to. He pushed Kevin away.

"I'm sorry... Was that too forward?" asked Kevin as he pulled up. Both boy's lips were throbbing from the intense kissing.

Edd panted slightly and quickly tried to catch his breathe. "No. It's just..."

"What, Dee?"

"I've just never..."

"You're a virgin." said Kevin and mentally slapped himself in the head. "I'm sorry, dude. I didn't mean to force myself on you."

"No! You didn't... I can't say that your actions were unpleasant. Far from it. It is just that I don't want my first time to be like this."

"I didn't know you were romantic, Double D." laughed Kevin and pushed himself off of the slender boy. "I would like to do this again. But do it right. I can't say that I planned the afternoon to go like this. I'm impulsive. When I see something I want, I tend to take it. I'm sorry for being so...you know..."

"Hasty?" said Edd as he picked the pillows off the floor and arranged them nicely behind him.

"Yeah. I can be an ass. I don't think sometimes."

"It is okay, Kevin. I am not angry at all." Edd started blushing. Kevin just said he wanted him and here he was picking up pillows off the floor. Curse his compulsion for cleanliness and order.

"I'm glad. So this can happen again?" said Kevin with a half smile.

"I would like that."

"Me too, Double D." He looked Double D right in eyes, "I hate to bring down the mood but I have to say something." His smile faded into a hard line. "We have to keep this thing quiet. If it's okay with you, I would like to tell Nazz. She is cool, I promise. But I don't want this getting out."

"I know." said Edd as the blush faded and he looked down at his shoes.

"I'm not ashamed or anything! Jeez, Edd, you're awesome. But you know how these small town assholes can be. Lets get through the year quietly."

Edd looked up at Kevin's stern face. "I agree of course. And you may tell Nazz, I suppose. I trust your opinion."

"I'd like to tell everyone, Dee. Just not now." said Kevin and kissed Edd lightly on the lips. "Look, I've got to go or I'm not going to be able to contain myself. I'm still a little...excited. So I think I need to go."

"Oh. Can I see you again?"

"Yeah! I mean...I'd like that." said Kevin, catching himself answering too eagerly.

"I'd like that too." said Edd.


	4. Chapter 4

The following night, Kevin prepared his bedroom for Nazz to come over. The pizza had already arrived and was sitting on his bed. Kevin also picked out a couple of movies to watch. He pushed his dirty clothes into a corner. Nazz knew how he was, but still Kevin didn't want look like a complete slob. He had managed not to tell her anything over the phone. He had decided that it would be better to tell her in person. His phone alerted him that he had a text message.

Nazz: Open the door loser.. liquor is heavy

Kevin hurried downstairs and opened the door. "It's called a doorbell, Nazz."

"Oh hi, grandma!" joked Nazz as she heaved her duffel bag higher onto her shoulder and started walking towards Kevin's room. Kevin followed after her and waited for her to put her bag down in the floor. She pulled out a two liter of Coke and some Jack Daniels.

"Let's do this!" she said and grabbed one of the red cups she had stuffed in her bag. She always thought of everything. She poured two glasses of the drink and handed Kevin his. He coughed a little.

"Damn, Nazz. Did you put any Coke in this?" he said as the taste hit him.

"A little." she said and took a long drink. She leaned over and opened the pizza box. Supreme. Their favorite.

"I needed this, dude. A little BFF time. I feel like I haven't seen you much since school started."

"You haven't. Been too busy with _Daniel_." Kevin stretched out the boy's name and mimicked Nazz batting her eyelashes.

"Jealous, much?"

"Oh you know it." he said and grabbed a slice of pizza.

"So how did your study session go?" asked Nazz with her mouth full.

"Um...well...I have been wanting to tell you about that."

Nazz almost choked on her pizza. "What? Did something happen?!" she stared at him wide eyed.

"Not much."

Nazz made a high pitched squeel and started laughing. She started chanting, "I knew it! I knew it!" as she punched Kevin playfully on the arm. She finally stopped and stared at him expectantly, waiting for him to give her the full scoop.

"Are you finished?" he asked as he rubbed his arm.

"For now. Now for God's sake tell me what happened!"

"Okay, okay! Well we studied for a while. I mean he talked and I tried to pay attention. Then-"

"Boring! Did you guys fuck?"

"Damn it, Nazz! Will you give me a second!"

"I'm sorry. Continue." she said she crossed her legs and motioned as if she was zipping her lips.

"As I was saying – We studied. I asked him if he wanted to hang out. We did. He's a really cool dude, Nazz. I just never noticed. We went to a movie and cruised around for a while. I took him home and I just couldn't stop myself."

"You fucked him!"

"Nazz... I swear to God..."

"Sorry! Sorry! I'll be good." she said with an innocent smile that Kevin knew was absolute crap.

"We started kissing. I was going trying to do a little something more but he stopped me."

"Why?" asked Nazz genuinely surprised.

"Well he's a virgin. And he didn't want that to be his first time. To be honest, I wasn't actually planning on sex. I mean we didn't even have any lube or anything. I just wanted to see what the dork was packing down there." said Kevin getting a little embarrassed.

"Soo... you didn't see Double's D? Ha! Get it?"

"You're not funny." said Kevin, though his smile told Nazz otherwise. "And no I did not see his "D". We agreed to keep things quiet and I went home."

"Well that was a lot of build up to nothing." said Nazz and she rolled her eyes.

"I'm sorry my life isn't entertaining enough."

"Yeah you will have to do better. So he knows that you're not a virgin?"

"I didn't tell him I wasn't a virgin. But I think he probably picked up on it."

"Hmm..."

"What?"

Nazz shook her head, "No I was just thinking. Anyway, when are you going to see each other again?"

"I don't know. We didn't set any plans. I'm not sure how we can hang out without anybody noticing."

"Yes the cul de sac sees all." said Nazz as she nodded wisely, "I mean you could always just say that he's tutoring you. That's not hard to believe. And you can always go at night when nobody is really out. Ugh, this is so damn romantic. Forbidden love."

"You're a bigger dork than he his, you know that?" said Kevin and threw a pillow at her.

The rest of the night was filled with plenty of liquor, pizza, and cigarettes that Nazz had smuggled over in her bag of goodies. They had the house to themselves. Nazz was semi honest and had told her mom that she was staying the night with Kevin. Nazz's mom was pretty liberal and allowed Nazz to do what she pleased. Well for the most part. She wouldn't be crazy about the alcohol and cigarettes. Kevin's dad went into the city on Saturday nights to play poker and get drunk. Since he didn't have anyone to drive him all the way home, he usually crashed in someone's spare bedroom. Nazz staggered to Kevin's own spare bedroom at about three in the morning and passed out. Kevin was pretty drunk himself. He flopped on his bed, wrapped the blankets around him like he was a burrito and took out his phone. He scrolled to Double D's name.

Kevin: Doubblle D...sup?

Double D: Kevin. It is three in the morning. What is "sup" is that I am sleeping.

Kevin: Thatss laame. *U shoulld come ovverr ;)

Double D: Why are you texting like that? Are you intoxicated?

Kevin: No

Kevin: Maybeeeeeeee

Kevin: Yasss ;)

Double D: That is highly irresponsible Kevin. You are underage. You could get into a lot of trouble. Not to mention the potential damage to your brain and liver if you overindulge.

Kevin: I like it weion u talk nerdddyyy,,,, shitt turns me on.

Double D: Turns you on?

Kevin: Yeahhh like make ss me horny? Ya knoww? Your so fuckking cute.

Double D: Thank you for the compliment. But I think perhaps you should retire for the night.

Kevin: cum kiss me gooodonight

Double D: No. Go to bed. I'll check on you in the morning.

Kevin: urr no fun... finnneee... dream aboutttttt me kay?

Double D: Goodnight, Kevin.


	5. Chapter 5

Edd had waken up at about seven after checking his phone to see if his intoxicated love interest had sent him any more messages. After seeing that he didn't, he rolled out of bed and started his morning routine. After he was dressed in dark jeans, a red t-shirt, and his beanie was secure on his mess of raven hair, he made sure that his bed was made and his room was pristine. He got on his computer and started researching hangover cures.

Sunday was Edd's shopping day. Edd had a bank account that his parents kept money in so that he may buy food and do whatever he needed too. It allowed him get things done while his parents monitored his spending, which suited everybody. After writing out his shopping list, Edd went to the garage where his parents had left Edd a car for him to run errands in and drive to school. They were very explicit that this car was not for "joy rides" or "tomfoolery". Edd rolled his eyes when he thought about it. He had never given his parents a reason not to trust him but they never failed to remind him that they were keeping an eye him. It sometimes felt like they were just waiting for him to slip up so that they would have a reason to get on to him. But Edd was seventeen and his birthday was only a few months away. As soon as he got that diploma, he was gone. Not to say that he wouldn't keep in touch. Maybe he would mail them some sticky notes.

After Edd drove to the grocery store and got his weekly necessities, as well as some supplies for Kevin, he drove home and arranged everything with the label facing outwards. Edd liked to think that he had calmed down a little from his compulsions that he had when he was younger but he still had some habits that died hard. At least he not longer felt the need to label everything. After everything was put away, he began on homework. When he noticed it was about noon and he hadn't yet heard from Kevin, he decided to text him.

Double D: How are you feeling today, Kevin?

Kevin had been awake for about twenty minutes when his phone chirped. He was nauseated and his head was throbbing so badly that he was afraid that his eyeballs were going to pop out of his head. He opened his phone and smiled when he read the message. _Wait...How did he know I was drinking?_ That is when Kevin noticed the texts he had sent Double D the night before. _Oh God. I'm going to puke._

After a quick trip to the bathroom, Kevin wrapped back up his in blanket. Maybe drinking a bottle of Jack Daniels a piece was not the best idea in the world. He grabbed his phone and sent the only text that could sum up how he felt.

Kevin: :(

Double D: That bad?

Kevin: :(!

Double D: Would you like me to come over?

Kevin: :)

Double D: I shall take that as a yes. Could you let me in?

Kevin groaned as he rolled out of bed. He was still in his white t-shirt from the night before but he only had his boxer shorts on. Kevin considered briefly pulling on a pair of pajama bottoms but decided that Edd could see his black boxer shorts. After checking briefly to see if Nazz was still there, which she was and was snoring loudly as she sprawled across the guest bed, Kevin went down stairs and unlocked the front door. He flopped on his worn blue sofa and texted Double D.

Kevin: Unlocked.

After about five minutes of staring at the ceiling and hating himself for drinking that much he heard his front door open.

"Salutations, Kevin." said Double D as he peered into Kevin's eye shot.

"Ugh."

"I brought you some Gatorade. It should hydrate you and replenish your electrolytes. I also brought you a banana, some crackers, and some soup. Also you should avoid greasy foods and caffeiene. Also some over the counter painkillers might help, but if you take too many you could do damage to your already overtaxed liver."

Kevin raised an eyebrow at Edd before taking a swig of the blue sports drink.

"I may have done some research this morning." said Edd as he took the top off the plastic bowl that contained some chicken noodle soup. He handed that and a spoon to Kevin, who took a bite immediatley.

"This is really good."

Edd smiled and showed off that gap, "Why thank you. It's a simple recipe."

"You mean this is homemade? I didn't know you could cook. Dude I'm getting treated like a king. Thanks."

"No problem." said Edd as he sat in the recliner facing the couch.

"So about those texts...I'm sorry. I guess Drunk Kevin got out."

"You make it sound as if you have an alter ego." laughed Edd.

"Sort of. You see Drunk Kevin aka DK is a bit of an impulsive ass. You may be asking yourself how this is different from regular Kevin. You see regular Kevin would not text the guy he likes at three in the morning. No I wait until daylight to tell someone I want them."

"How courteous of regular Kevin."

"Oh yeah, regular Kevin is great. DK doesn't care if people are sleeping. Especially when they are sexy and a great kisser." said Kevin as he smiled at Double D. That smirk. It was driving Double D crazy.

"S-sexy? I don't know about th-that.." Double D said tripping over his words. Compliments always made him uncomfortable when they referred to his appearance.

"Good morning!" a voice rang down from the top of the stairs. Nazz seemed to be a lot better shape then Kevin.

"How are you so cheerful? I feel like I am dying."

"Eh. I'm the hangover queen. They don't really get to me. Good morning, Double D." said Nazz as she sat on the love seat opposite of the recliner Double D was currently sitting in.

"Hello, Nazz. Although I'm afraid morning has passed."

"Oh damn, it has." she said as she looked at the clock on the wall.

"Do you need to text your mom?" asked Kevin as he downed the soup in the plastic bowl.

"Why? She doesn't care what I do." Nazz shook her head and looked at the two. "Hey lets all do something today!"

"Like what? I'm at death's door..." said Kevin as he laid his head on the couch arm.

"I don't know. Lets drive to the city. We could go to the mall. Oh! Or my cousin owns a bar up there. She always has live music on the weekends. Supports the local bands, you know? She would let us in as long as we didn't try to drink anything."

"I think my heads going to explode."

"Ugh you pussy." said Nazz as she scowled at Kevin. "What about you, Double D? We could have an adventure while Kevin here sleeps off his hangover."

"An adventure?" asked Edd warily. He had known Nazz basically his whole life and she had always been nice to him. That being said she had never put in an effort to actually be his friend.

"Yeah! We could do anything! That's what we are going to do. I'm going to go grab my purse from upstairs and freshen up a little." said Nazz. She got up and ran up the stairs.

"I don't get how she can have that much energy and I feel like this." said Kevin. "Are you okay hanging out with Nazz?"

"I don't know if I have a choice." said Double D with a small laugh, "But I suppose it could be fun. I'm way ahead on schoolwork and my household obligations have already been fulfilled."

"Nazz is great. You two will have fun. Now if you excuse me. I think I'm going to go puke again." said Kevin as he staggered to the downstairs bathroom. Edd supposed the soup didn't help as much as he had hoped it would. Edd wrinkled his nose as he heard Kevin retch but Nazz descended the stairs soon after. She had on one of Kevin's t shirts. The shirt was a little large for her petite frame but looked okay over the leggings she was wearing. Her blonde hair was pulled into a messy bun on the top of her head.

"Let's ride!" she said with an infectious smile.

"Maybe we should check on Kevin." suggested Double D. Kevin could still be heard losing it in the bathroom.

"He will be okay. He's a big boy. He knew what he was doing last night. You can't feel sorry for people who bring it on themselves, Double D. Remember that." she said and started out the door.

When they pulled out of the cul de sac, Double D's phone went off with a subtle _bing!_

Eddy: Dude did I just see you get in Nazz's car? WTF is going on and why havnt you told me anything?

Double D rolled his eyes and said out loud, "Oh Lord."

"What's up?" asked Nazz as she tried hard not to lean over to look at his phone. She was trying to get better about respecting people's boundaries.

"Oh it's Eddy. He saw us leave."

"I hate the fucking cul de sac. You can't sneeze sideways without someone seeing you."

"I can't say that I am going to miss it much when I leave for college. Don't get me wrong I like the people in it, but I prefer to go unnoticed for the most part."

Eddy: Call. Me.

"Oh for the love of..." said Double as he started punching the buttons on his phone.

Double D: Nazz asked me if I wished to accompany her into the city. I cannot call you now. That would be rude.

Eddy: Wow I didn't know ya had it in ya. Your going after Nazz. I know I work all the time now but dude you got to keep me up to date. Let me know if you get deflowered.

"Dude, if you are going to text in my car, you have to at least give me a play by play." Nazz said tired of suppressing her nosiness.

"Eddy is just being crude. He thinks I am trying to have relations with you. That is all he ever thinks about, I swear."

"Wait a minute. Eddy doesn't know you're gay?" asked Nazz. It was weird for Edd to hear Nazz bring up his sexuality. He knew that Kevin had told her but still it gave him that familiar feeling of anxiousness.

"No. Nobody knows. Except for you and Kevin."

"That must suck. I thought you and the other Eds were close."

"We are...but I don't want anyone to know until after I leave. I know Ed cannot be trusted to keep a secret and...I'm a little nervous as to how Eddy would receive my news."

"I don't know what to tell you, dude. But if you ever want to talk you know I'm here. I'm a pretty good listener and I give pretty awesome advice. I don't blame you for wanting to keep it quiet. I get a long with most everybody but some of the people in that school call be royal asswads."

"Indeed."

"I'm glad you and Kevin are talking though. He is a cool dude and I think you are too. I know we haven't talked much, but you've got a good vibe about you."

"A good vibe?"

"Yeah like... I don't know it's hard to explain. I can just tell you're a good person too. Anyways I was thinking we could drive to Lemonbrook and grab some lunch. I know it's a little far just for food but I know this killer place close to my cousin's bar. They have thebest tacos."

"Sounds good to me." said Double D. The time seemed to fly by. Lemonbrook is a good forty-five minute drive from Peach Creek but there was never any awkward silences. Nazz was very intelligent and didn't really seem to mind schoolwork as much as Kevin. Her favorite subject was English and they talked in depth about the book that they had started reading in her class. Nazz had finished the book two days after it had been issued to her, even though she had a month to read it.

Once they had arrived at the restaurant, Edd found that Nazz was not lying when she said they their tacos were impressive.

"See? I'm a great judge when it comes to food." she said with her mouth full.

"Oh Lord, Nazz. Please chew with your mouth closed." said Double D with a little laugh in his voice to disguise his disgust.

"Sorry. I'm not very ladylike." she said and stuck her tongue out, still covered in food.

"Oh you can say that again!" he said and covered his eyes.

Nazz laughed and swallowed her food. "Hey you should start joining me and Kevin for movie night on Saturday. It is always a blast. I mean if you don't have plans with the Eds."

"I would hate to impose."

"Of course you wouldn't. If anything I would be opposing on yours and Kevin's space."

Double D smiled and then looked Nazz in the face, "Thank you. For being so kind to me. I have really enjoyed your company. My circle of friends has always pretty much consisted of just Ed and Eddy. It's hard for me to make new friends."

"Well you've got one now. And you're stuck with me!"

A couple of hours later Nazz and Double D walked through Kevin's front door. A man that Double recognized as Kevin's father was sitting on the couch watching a game. He was a tall man with a medium build. He looked like he could break Double D in half which made him a little nervous. He had red hair much like Kevin's but it was duller and graying.

"Sup, Daddy Barr? Is Kevin upstairs?"

"Yep. Hey you're the Vincent kid right?" said Kevin's dad in a gruff voice as he looked Edd's way.

"Yes, sir." said Edd shyly.

"Yep! He is hanging out with me and Kevin now." Nazz said brightly.

"Well mi casa es su casa. And Nazz next time you come over, take a little easier on the drinking okay? Don't try to give my kid alcohol poisoning." said Kevin's dad as he gave her a stern look.

"Yes, sir." she said and batted her eyelashes innocently. Edd followed her as they headed towards the stairs.

"He doesn't care that you and Kevin drank in his home?" asked Edd quietly.

"Yes and no. Of course he would rather us not but he's one of those "kids will be kids" kinds of dads. And he would rather us do it here than somewhere where we might get behind the wheel of a car. The only thing he won't do is buy for us but that's understandable."

"I see." said Edd a little envious. He had no desire to drink or become intoxicated but if he did and his parents found out...Well lets just say it wouldn't be pretty. His parents were sticklers for rules and order.

Kevin was lying in bed with a wet rag over his face when Nazz burst in his room. "How ya feeling, Kev?"

"Better." said Kevin simply, never removing the rag from his face.

"Glad to hear it. Well I'm going home. I still have a stupid "getting to know you" essay for my writing class. I just need my bag. I'm leaving the rest of my liquor stash in your closet, kay?"

"That's fine."

"I can leave too, Kevin. You probably need your rest." said Double D after Nazz had walked out the bedroom door.

Kevin took the rag off of his face and looked at Edd. "Id like it if you stayed for a little while."

Edd nodded and sat on the corner of Kevin's bed. Kevin threw the rag on the floor and made his way towards Edd. "Can I kiss you?"

"But your father is downstairs..." said Edd reluctantly.

"And he is watching the game. He in his own little world." said Kevin and drew his face closer to Edd's. Edd leaned forward and met Kevin halfway. They started kissing and Edd felt giddy inside. It was all so new and exciting. Kevin wrapped his arms around Edd and pushed his tongue playfully into his mouth. Kevin was much more aggressive than Edd, but Edd didn't mind. If he was honest, he _loved_ how dominant Kevin was when they were kissing.

It took a moment before Edd realized what had happened. In the heat of the moment, Kevin had pulled off his beanie. Edd made a squeaking noise and pushed Kevin back. He scrambled to find his hat and pull it back over his jet black hair. But it was too late. Kevin had already seen what Edd was hiding under there.


	6. Chapter 6

Edd sat crossed legged on his bed in front of his laptop. He had his headphones in, listening to music while he was looking for some books he could order for a fifteen page paper he had due before Christmas break for his AP History class. For the first time in a long time, he was just sitting at home without his hat on. He usually had the habit of putting that hat on first thing in the morning and removing it only before he went to bed. After Kevin's reaction to the __thing__ , Edd had taken to not wearing his hat as often when he was at home or with Kevin. It had been about a few weeks since the incident but he still thought about it all the time. He had never expected Kevin's reaction.

After Edd had let a couple of tears slip down his cheeks, Kevin had wrapped Edd in an embrace. The action felt strange to him at the time. His parents were never affectionate, so Edd was not used to being touched very often. Especially in that intimate of a way. Kevin pulled back with a smile, "I can't believe that you've been hiding something as small as a birthmark for all these years."

Edd had gotten frustrated at this comment, "It's not small. It's the size of an orange. It is enormous!"

"Dee, your hair covers most of it." said Kevin as he reached out. Edd's first instinct was to back away, but he fought the urge. He remained still, not even taking a breath as Kevin traced the birthmark with his fingers. The birthmark was a dark brown uneven splotch that started about an inch before his hairline and stretched back into his messy raven hair.

Edd had been teased about it when he had started elementary school and had hated the thing since his first day. One child had even teased him about the "poop spot" on his head. Since then, Edd had done everything he could to cover the thing up. It was bad enough that he had such a gangly frame, hair that couldn't be tamed, and a prominent gap in his teeth that he couldn't do much about. But by God, he was going to keep that thing covered up.

"I think it makes you look cute." said Kevin as he had pulled away. Edd couldn't help but scoff at the ridiculous comment.

Kevin tilted his head slightly, "What?"

"I am anything but cute. I don't know why you keep saying such things." said Edd.

"Because I am a pretty honest guy and I calls 'em like I sees 'em, Edd."

When he thought back on the exchange, it still gave him chills. As much as he didn't want to admit it to himself, he was falling hard for Kevin Barr. The past few weeks had been bliss. They had worked out a story that Kevin would come over after school for "tutoring". Now Kevin was really just there for steamy make out sessions, but he always left with all of his homework completed. So it wasn't a complete lie. The two had agreed to take things slow, but if Edd was honest, just making out was starting to not be enough. As Edd let his mind wander, he noticed his phone light up notifying him that Eddy was calling him.

"Hello?" said Edd after he had pulled his headphones down, letting them rest on his neck.

"Hey sockhead, what are you doing tonight? I don't have to work tonight. We need to have a movie marathon. Just me, you, and lumpy."

"Apologies, Eddy, but I am busy this evening."

"Busy? For fuck's sake, dude. This is the first Saturday that I've been off in two months. What could you possibly be busy doing?"

Edd started to get nervous. He hated lying. "I'm working on a paper for my AP History class. It's due on Monday, and I still have a lot of work to do on it. I don't want to wait to work on it until tomorrow night." Okay, so it wasn't a downright lie. Or at least that is what Edd told himself to ease his guilt. _ _I mean, I am working on the paper. And he doesn't know when it is due...__

"Bullshit. You can write a paper in no time flat. And you are always weeks ahead of your homework. I just don't think you want to hang out with us."

 _ _Curse my terrible lying..__

"I changed the topic of my paper last minute." Edd said quickly. "B-but do you work tomorrow evening?"

"Tomorrow morning. I get off about three. Well supposed to, anyway."

"Well then let us do something tomorrow. It would make me feel better to have this paper done."

"Fine, I guess. Lumpy and I will just hang out without you. See you tomorrow. Better not blow us off. We haven't hung out since school started."

"You have my word. I shall see you tomorrow afternoon." said Edd and hung up. He took a deep sigh and fell back into his pillow. He really did hate lying. But Saturday night was the night that he got together with Nazz and Kevin. At first he was afraid that it was going to be awkward, especially since they were drinking. It wasn't though. Nazz and Kevin never really got overly intoxicated since he had been around. Really they got tipsy at the most. And they never ran out of things to talk about. Edd was surprised at how he was fitting in with the two.

Edd scrolled to Kevin's name on his phone and sent him a text to let him know that he was nervous about Eddy seeing him walk to Kevin's house for their weekly get together.

Double D: I am nervous about walking over to your house tonight. Eddy does not work tonight and wished to get together. I told him I was busy. I am uneasy about him seeing me walk to your house.

Kevin: No worries. We can cut across the backyards and come to your backdoor after dark. We r master fence hoppers. If u r ok with us doing movie night at ur place?

Double D: I suppose it would be okay. My parents texted me this morning to tell me that they will not be home until Thanksgiving. So we do not have to worry about that.

Edd couldn't help but break out into a huge smile. He felt so rebellious.

Kevin: Sweet. Ill let nazz know. See you soon ;)

After Kevin texted Nazz to let her know that they were meeting at Double D's house and to cut across the backyards and come to the back door. He dug through his clean pile of clothes that he had in a basket in the corner of his room to find clean socks. He walked downstairs to try to hunt down his sneakers. His dad was slipping his own shoes on so that he could leave for the city.

"Where are you going, kid?" asked his dad as he noticed Kevin grabbing his shoes.

"Edd's house. We are doing movie night at his place."

"His parents home?"

"Nope."

His dad finished lacing up his shoe and looked at his son gravely. "Hey I know how you and Nazz are. Don't you get that kid in trouble."

"Aren't you supposed to tell me not to get into trouble?" laughed Kevin.

"There's no hope for you, you hellion." winked his dad and grabbed his wallet off the side table. "Make good decisions, okay?"

"Okay, dad." said Kevin and watched his dad leave. His phone chirped as he started looking for his keys.

Nazz: Hey that's cool. Be honest though – u want me to just hang out at home tonight? Give you and D some alone time.

Kevin: Nah. This is our night for all of us to hang out.

Nazz: Ooookkkay.. If ur sure. You go on ahead. I'll meet you at D's house.

Double D heard a knock at his backdoor not long after sunset. He slipped his hat on and walked into his kitchen. He found Kevin waiting on the other side when he opened the door.

"Where is Nazz?" asked Edd as he opened his back door.

"She said she would be here soon. Are you sure you're okay having us over? We were planning on drinking a little."

"It will be fine. I figured you two were still going to be consuming alcohol this evening. The only thing I ask is that you two don't smoke. I don't want my parents to smell it if the odor lingers."

"Understandable." he said and put his arms around Edd. "Hey."

"Hey." said Edd with what he imagined to be a goofy smile. Kevin thought it was adorable. Kevin started kissing on Double D's neck and moved up to his face. Edd had his hands wrapped around Kevin's waist. He was feeling bold today, so he let his hand slip down to Kevin's butt. Kevin responded by pulling Edd closer to him as he kissed him more roughly. After about ten minutes there was rhythmic knocking at the back door. Edd pushed Kevin away gently and eased away.

Nazz opened the door without being let in, "Hey guys! You guys missed it. I almost got caught by Jimmy's mom when I was cutting across her backyard. I flipped over that fence like a fucking ninja. I think that is my calling in life."

"Ninja? I don't know if there is much call for that in Peach Creek, Nazz." laughed Kevin. Edd laughed and they walked into the living room from the kitchen.

"Dream crusher." said Nazz as she punched Kevin playfully in the arm. She turned towards Edd, "So, Double D, is this the weekend that your finally going to let me mix you a drink?"

"I don't think so." said Edd awkwardly.

"Oh come on, Edd. There will barely be any vodka in it. Mostly cranberry juice. It's healthy."

"Nazz, quit trying to peer pressure, Double D." said Kevin as he flopped on Edd's couch. Edd was putting in a DVD that Kevin had lent him earlier that week.

"Finnnnne..." Nazz said as she sat on the loveseat.

After the movie was started, Edd sat down beside Kevin. The movie was a horror film about a haunted house. It was cheesy, but the acting was good. It was about twenty minutes into the movie when Edd felt Kevin lay his hand on top of his and lace his fingers with his. Edd felt his heart start to race and unfortunately felt his hand begin to sweat. It wasn't the first time Kevin had held his hand, but it was the first time that he did so with Nazz around. He tried to push the worry of his sweaty palm out of his head and tried to enjoy the movie about the ghost trying to murder a family. Well as much as he could enjoy the movie. Horror movies really weren't his thing. He was just watching it because he knew Kevin and Nazz liked it.

Kevin and Nazz began drinking not long after that and Edd agreed to let them stay the night after they were starting to fall asleep in the living room. Nazz called the couch and Edd took Kevin upstairs to the spare room.

"There are some spare blankets in the closet if you need one." said Edd.

Kevin walked behind Edd and wrapped his arms around him. He put his mouth up to his ear, "Can't I stay in your room?"

Edd blushed and turned around, "I-i-i...don't know."

"I promise I won't try to do anything. I just want to sleep with you. Like actually fall asleep. Not the dirty sleep. Clothes on. I'll be on my best behavior. Scout's honor." He said with a mischievous smirk.

Edd remained quiet but smiled at Kevin. His smile was filled with uncertainty but he genuinely did want Kevin in his bed. It was so strange, he felt like a new version of himself. A more confident version of himself. Someone found him attractive and that can do wonders for a person's confidence.

After leading Kevin into his room, Edd grabbed a pair of plain gray pajama pants and a "I heart science" shirt he had gotten from his brief stint in the science club and excused himself to the bathroom. As he dressed and completed his nightly routine, he found himself getting a mixture of nervous and excited. When he walked out Kevin was already under Edd's thick navy blue blanket. It was pulled up to his chin.

"Are you still clothed under there?" asked Edd with a grin.

"Hey I promised didn't I?"He said.

Edd slipped under the cover and let Kevin pull him in. Kevin put his arm around Edd and positioned himself so that Edd's head was resting on his chest. It wasn't long until Kevin was asleep but Edd laid there and listened to Kevin's breath and heartbeat. Eventually that lulled him to sleep as well.

The next morning Edd had found that Kevin was still holding him but they were in a spooning position. It was nice and comforting. Edd looked at the clock on his bedside table. It was already nine. He had slept in. Well, his version of sleeping in. He enjoyed the warmth of Kevin's embrace for a little longer before pulling away and turning towards him. Their eyes met.

"How did you sleep, Kevin?"

"Like a rock. You?"

"Very well."

"I like sleeping with you."

"I enjoyed it as well."

"We will have to make a habit of it. But just so you know, it's getting harder and harder not to have sex with you."

Edd got embarrassed and looked away. Kevin laughed and kissed Edd on the forehead. "Let's go wake up, Nazz. Maybe we could all go do something today."

"Oh I cannot do anything today. I promised Eddy that I would spend the afternoon with him and Ed."

"Blow them off, Dee."

"I already promised him. I'll see you tomorrow after school though."

"Ugh. Okay, I guess." said Kevin. Double D got out of bed and went to the bathroom. When he got out, Kevin was out of bed presumably either waking Nazz up or in the other bathroom. Double D took this opportunity to change, put on his hat, and make his bed. When he walked downstairs Nazz and Kevin were talking on the couch.

"Morning, Double D!" said Nazz.

"Good morning, Nazz. I hope you slept well."

"Yup! I think I'm going to head out though."

Kevin said, "We are going to have to figure out a way to get back home though. We can't cut back through the backyards without being seen since it's daytime."

"Do not underestimate my ninja abilities, Kevin." said Nazz and karate chopped the air.

"As much as I think you would make an excellent ninja, I do have a suggestion." laughed Double D, "I have to go shopping today. You two could get into the car and remain hidden until we get to end of the block then walk back."

"That's not a bad idea." said Kevin, "And that way Nazz won't hurt herself."

She karate chopped his arm, "I told you not to underestimate me! Although...that does sound easier."

So that is what they did. The only thing Edd got while he was shopping that was not on his list was a box of condoms and some lubricant. When the cashier rang it up, his face turned bright crimson, although the middle aged woman looked as if she couldn't care less. When Edd got home and put everything away he took to opportunity to get on his laptop to work on some of his schoolwork. He saw that he had an email from his mother.

Eddward,

I hope everything is going well at home. I wanted to remind you that you need to be sure that you have sent in all of your college applications. I know you have applied to a few but I wish you would reconsider coming to Big Apple University. It is a wonderful school. I attached a few articles on how fantastic the school is. I know you have your heart set on Ivy University. It does not hurt to have a back up.

Talk to you soon,

Mom

Edd hadn't applied to Big Apple because he really didn't want to be at the same university that his parents worked at. He did have his heart set on Ivy, but he had still applied to quite a few other schools. He sent back a simple email that said that he would consider it. After several hours of homework, Edd got a text from Eddy saying that he and Ed were downstairs waiting to be let in.

"Good afternoon." said Edd as he let the two in.

"Hello, Double D!" said Ed brightly. He had a bag of movies in his hands which he dropped on the coffee table with a thud.

"We got some good flicks in that bag. And I bought stopped by the candy store on the way home from work. Jawbreaker, anyone?" said Eddy.

Edd had missed this. The threesome had gone from being together almost everyday to a few times a week after Ed and Eddy had started working. They had seen even less of each other after Edd had started seeing Kevin. He felt a little guilty for not showing the two more attention. It was difficult though to juggle his friends, his schoolwork, and Kevin.

"I'm off tomorrow too, if you jerks want to hang out." said Eddy as he sucked happily on his jawbreaker.

"Oh I am tutoring Kevin tomorrow. So I am afraid I cannot."

"Tell shovel chin to shove it."

"That would not be very polite, Eddy." said Double D with a frown.

"Well, it seems like the few times when I am off you are busy with tutoring that asshole or busy with something else. You are upsetting, Ed."

Ed was staring blankly at the movie screen, seemingly unaware of the conversation going on around him.

"I think he is okay, Eddy. I am sorry I have been unavailable lately. It has just been busy. Senior year and all."

"Well, whatever."

"I am sorry, Eddy."

"I said, whatever." Eddy said and stared back at the television. They sat there in awkward silence until Ed finally started talking about zombies and how he wondered if they ever found love. This started a mild debate among the three that finally got them talking again. They watched a couple of movies and finally dispersed.

Kevin got up for school as usual the following Friday and took his motorcycle to school. Daniel had picked Nazz up so he was riding solo. He passed Ed, Edd, and Eddy on his way and tried hard not to look at him. It was hard at school whenever he had to pretend not to see him. It was hard to pretend that he didn't want to go talk to him, tell him about his day, make a flirty comment. It was nearing the end of September and Kevin had to tell himself that after they graduated, it would be easier. But would it? They had never really talked about the future. Which it would be weird to since they hadn't been dating for very long. At least Kevin thought it would be weird. But when he stopped to think about it, Kevin didn't even know what he wanted to do after high school. And surely Double D would be going to some fancy college. There was no way he would be going to State, which is the only college that Kevin could get into with his GPA.

Kevin shook the thoughts out of his head and just continued on to school. This was a problem for future him. The day went by slowly as Kevin spent most of the day doodling on his notebook, trying to make time go by faster. Finally it was time for his last class. He walked to the gym and went into the locker room. A few of his teammates had gym at the same time and waved to him as he came in. Nazz's boyfriend, Daniel, was one of the teammates there. Along with Micheal, Todd, and Jeremy.

"Hey, we are going to go hang out at Jeremy's after school and play the new Killing Spree game. You interested?" asked Todd.

"I can't. I have tutoring. You know I'm a terrible student and I'm trying really hard to make it through this year." said Kevin casually.

"Dude, I was just telling Todd and Jeremy about that queer you have tutoring you earlier." said Michael as he slipped into his gym shirt. "They couldn't believe it either."

Kevin wanted to defend Double D like he had when Michael had caught him at the movie theater, but he didn't want to raise their suspicions. "Hey, if it gets me through my classes, you know?" said Kevin cooly.

"I couldn't do it." said Todd. "He's probably in love with you. Probably has a shrine in his closet or some shit."

"Well if he is gay, he hasn't said anything to me. And I doubt there is a shrine." said Kevin as he shook his head.

"He doesn't have to say it. Just look at him! And the way he acts. Psh." said Jeremy.

"Yeah, dude. I wouldn't bend over around him." laughed Todd. He laughed like a Neanderthal.

"Ha...yeah. I'll have to watch that." said Kevin as he slipped into his gym shorts.

"I'm just surprised he doesn't come in here to change and try to catch a glimpse of us. He's fucking lucky he changes in the bathroom. Fag." said Michael.

Kevin couldn't wait to get out of this backwards ass town. He was looking forward to seeing Edd now more than ever. Gym went by quick enough and he started walking towards the parking lot. His phone went off.

Double D: Don't come over until about five.

Kevin: Okay?

Double D: I have to have time to do something. It's a good something.

Kevin: Should I be excited?

Double D: I think so :)

Double D rushed home and jumped in the shower. When he was out he dressed in a button up shirt and his nicest jeans. About the middle of the week he had made a decision. He and Kevin had been seeing each other for about a month. He had decided that it was time for them to take their relationship to the next level. He was ready to have sexual relations with Kevin.

A little before five, Edd heard a knock at his door. Edd had made a lasagna and had just finished putting it on the dining room table along with some breadsticks and a salad.

"Hey there." said Kevin as he walked in the door, "It smells good in here."

"Thank you. I wanted to cook you dinner. I made lasagna."

"Sounds awesome. You look nice. Special occasion?" asked Kevin as he sat his backpack down. If he did walk to Double D's house without sneaking around, he always had his backpack. It made it look like he was there for schoolwork.

"Maybe."

They walked into the dining room and sat down at the table. "This is fucking awesome, Edd. I mean...Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Dinner was great and they moved to the living room. Kevin sat down and Edd tried to psych himself up. _I can do this. I can do this._ He repeated to himself.

"Are you okay?" asked Kevin as he raised an eyebrow.

"Oh yes! I...well...I have a proposal for you."

"Aren't you supposed to be down on one knee?"

"Not that kind of proposal!" exclaimed Edd as he started getting flustered.

"Okay. What is your proposal?"

"Well we having been seeing each other for a month now."

"Yes we have."

"And I feel like I can call you my boyfriend. I mean I know we can't say anything but-"

"Edd, you are my boyfriend." reassured Kevin.

"Oh... Well, I-i-i..." stuttered Edd.

"Dee, spit it out." smiled Kevin as he watched Edd stutter over his words. _Why is he so nervous?_

"Well...I-i was thinking maybe tonight...we could..."

"We could?"

"You know..."

"We could...Oh. Oh! Really? Are you sure?" said Kevin as it dawned on him what Edd was suggesting.

"I am." said Edd surely as he moved towards Kevin. Kevin pulled him down and Edd straddled him. They started kissing and Edd started to feel his anxiety dissipate. He wanted this. He was sure of it.

 **Okay, loves, you know I like to leave with a bit of a cliffhanger. Sorry it took so much longer for the this chapter. I've been working a lot lately (Oh the burden of having two jobs). I will get the next chapter out as soon as I can!**

 **Much love!**

 **~Lovely Dork~**


	7. Chapter 7

Edd had led Kevin into his bedroom. He didn't quite remember doing that, but here they were. Kevin had already lost his shirt sometime, but Edd was fully clothed. It was all a blur. A nagging feeling sat in Edd's mind. It brought him back into the moment. He had seen Kevin shirtless once when Kevin had changed t shirts before Nazz arrived for one of their Saturday night rendezvous. That being said, he had never seen Kevin naked, or vice-versa. What if Kevin was disappointed with what Edd had to offer?

To Double D, Kevin was pretty damn close to a Greek god. Years of being athletically gifted had left him with defined ab muscles and muscular arms. His messy orange hair feel down in front of his emerald eyes. He was beautiful. _I'm repulsive compared to him..._ Edd thought.

"Is something wrong?" asked Kevin as he pulled away.

"N-no...why?"

"You seem distracted."

"My apologies. I am just very nervous." said Edd as he put his back against the headboard of his bed.

"Edd, we don't have to have sex. I don't want you to feel pressured."

"No! I want to!" said Edd hurriedly, "I...I just don't know how to begin."

"Dee, you know we could do other things besides actually having sex. We don't have to rush it."

"What other things?"

"Well first of all, maybe you should lose your shirt too." said Kevin as he grasped the end of Edd's shirt. He pulled it over his head easily since Edd did not put up a fight. Edd stared at him nervously.

Kevin pushed his own body against Edd's and started kissing him.

The sensation of their two bare upper halves rubbing together was getting them both excited. Kevin took his hand and started rubbing it against the front of Edd's jeans. He had an erection that was being concealed by the denim pants.

Kevin stopped for a moment, "Do you have any lotion or lube?"

"In the drawer." said Edd breathlessly.

Kevin pulled out a small clear bottle of lubricant with a bright purple lid.

Edd watched as Kevin freed Edd's cock from his pants. He felt his face flush a little. The next thing he knew Kevin had wrapped his hand around his dick. With a firm grasp, he started moving his hand up and down. Edd let out a soft moan. Kevin responded by quickening his pace. This received a louder moan. They went back and forth like that until Edd was clutching his bedsheets on the verge of climax.

"Oh, God!" yelled Edd as he came all over himself and Kevin's hand. Kevin got up and retrieved a towel from the bathroom. Double D laid there attempting to catch his breath. Kevin handed Edd the towel and crawled into bed next to Edd. He wrapped his arms around him and pulled Edd in close.

They talked for a few hours before Kevin fell asleep. Edd stayed up with thoughts circling around in his head. He slowly rose out of bed and slipped a pair of sweat pants and a baggy black t shirt on. He wanted to crawl back into bed with Kevin but he needed to process some things.

He walked downstairs and made himself a cup of tea. After adding honey and milk, he sat down on the couch with only a lamp illuminating the living room. Kevin had seen him. _All_ of him. Edd had been planning on giving himself to Kevin for days now, but now that Kevin had suggested they take their time, it sounded nice to get to know each other a little better first. Maybe he had been hasty. At first he didn't feel like he was being hurried. They saw each other almost every day. It felt like a year since that dodge ball had hit him in the face. That being said though, taking more time seemed like a good idea.

Another thought that passed through his mind. He wished he had someone to talk to. He supposed he could always talk to Nazz but she was Kevin's best friend. While he did like her and enjoyed her company, she and Kevin would always be closer than they would ever be. He couldn't talk to Ed or Eddy, even if they did know about his sexual preferences. They wouldn't want to hear about him having any kind of relations with a man. Edd stewed in his thought a little longer before finishing his tea. He washed the cup, put it away, and went upstairs to join Kevin.

The next morning the two were having somewhat of a playful argument while Edd was making them omelets.

"Oh come on! You will love it!" said Kevin before he took a swig of orange juice.

"I most certainly would not!"

"Yes you would."

"You are not getting me on that death trap!"

"Please..." said Kevin with his best pout.

"No! You can beg until you are blue in the face but I will not get on that motorcycle!"

"I don't think you have any confidence in me as a driver."

"I don't have confidence in any part of riding that rust bucket!"

"Oh hey watch it! That's my baby you're talking about." said Kevin with a slightly more serious tone.

"I apologize... I'm still not riding it."

"Look I have an extra helmet and an extra jacket. It's super safe."

"Where are you even planning on driving us? We can't leave from the cul de sac or really anywhere in Peach Creek. We would be seen."

"I could meet you on the edge of town. We could cruise down the highway between here and the city."

"You have an answer for everything, don't you?"

"Yup! Now come on! Please."

The back and forth went on the entire time Edd cooked and well into the meal. Finally Kevin had worn down Edd's resolve. Edd had agreed under the condition that Kevin would drive slow and they would stop at any time Edd felt unsafe. Kevin agreed to his conditions and snuck home to shower and change. Edd did the same while feeling on the verge of a panic attack all morning. There were so many things that could go wrong. They could be hit and since there weren't any belts keeping them down, they would be sent flying. Or what if Kevin lost control? What if an animal ran out in front of them? These what ifs went through Edd's mind the entire time he was in the shower.

They met on the edge of town in the parking lot of the old abandoned movie theater that had went out of business when the new cinema opened. Edd parked behind the building and waited until he saw Kevin come into view.

"Are you ready for this? You're going to love it, babe! There is nothing like it." said Kevin after he had pulled off his helmet.

"Babe?" asked Edd with a crooked smile.

"Oh...yeah you don't mind me calling you that, do you? Sorry it kind of slipped out."

"I don't mind. And I suppose I am ready. As ready as I will ever be at least."

Kevin pulled a helmet out of the backpack he had on. He handed Edd a black helmet that matched the one he had. He also handed Edd a black leather jacket.

"In the very unlikely case that something does happen, it will help protect you against road rash." said Kevin as Edd looked at it. Nervously, he slipped his arms in. It was about a size too big but once it was zipped up, it wasn't too bad.

"Okay, you are going to hold on to my waist, got it? And when we approach a corner, lean with me."

"I don't know if I can do this."

"You will be fine. I promise."

Edd nodded reluctantly and put the helmet on. He waited for Kevin to get on the bike and then got on behind him. Kevin took off slowly and Edd held on to him like he was a snake trying to strangle it's prey. Kevin thought about telling him to loosen his grip but he would eventually loosen on his own. He knew how scared Edd was, so he dealt with the discomfort.

They turned on to the highway and started approaching the fifty five mile speed limit. Edd's heart felt like it was going to pound out of his chest. After about ten minutes, the panic started to subside. Although he still kept his python like grasp on Kevin, he started noticing the wind going by them. He noticed the vibration between his legs and how close he was pressed against Kevin. It was actually a pretty freeing feeling once he quit thinking about how many people die a year in motorcycle accidents.

Kevin drove to the city and turned back towards Peach Creek. Edd had finally loosened his grip, which was a relief to Kevin, who was beginning to worry about his intestines and ribs being squeezed like that. Once they made it back to the abandoned movie theater, Kevin turned towards Edd. "Okay, so admit it. It's pretty great."

"I suppose it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be."

"You had fun." smiled Kevin. He was stating a fact not asking a question.

"I suppose I got a little enjoyment out of the experience."

Kevin leaned over and gave Edd a quick kiss. "I'll see you tonight."

With that he was off. Edd got back into his car and started heading back to the cul de sac. Once Kevin was home, he found his dad in his usual spot on the couch.

"Hey, kid. Have you checked your phone lately?"

"No. Why?"

"Your mother tried to call you."

"Uh...why?"

"I don't know! But lucky me, she called to ask where you were. Then she went on and on about me needing to keep better track of you. I mean you're damn near grown. Acting like I need to be your damn keeper." Kevin's dad kept grumbling under his breath until Kevin started to walk away from him. "Hey! You owe me one. And call her back! I don't want to have to talk to her again this year!"

"Ugh. I'll call her." said Kevin and walked up to his room. Sure enough, he had three missed calls. He scrolled down and pushed the call button.

"Kevin! Why didn't you answer your phone!"

"I was on my bike, mom. I didn't hear my phone go off."

"I hate that thing. You could really get yourself hurt."

"What's up, mom?"

"Well you haven't been calling as much the past couple of weeks. I just wanted to check in on you and tell you that I have something pretty important to tell you."

"Okay? Well i'm good. What's the news?"

"I don't want to tell you over the phone. Come have dinner with me tonight."

"I can't mom. I have plans with Nazz and Double D."

"The Vincent's kid? I didn't know you two were friends."

"We just became friends."

"I see. Well you can hang out with them any time! I haven't seen you in forever and it would mean the world to me if you could come see me tonight."

After a few seconds of debating, Kevin finally blew out a sigh, "Alright, Mom. I'll be there. What time do you want me at your apartment?"

"Five o clock! Love you!"

"Love you too, Mom."

Kevin was disappointed to say the least. Not that he was going to go see his mother but that he had to cancel with Nazz and Edd. Before he pulled out his phone to send a group text, he paused to wonder what the news could be. Maybe she had gotten a promotion at work? No she would have told him about that. Maybe she was pregnant? Oh God... She was pregnant. While his mother was only thirty-eight and still capable of having children, it felt weird. Maybe she wasn't. I mean she wasn't even married. _She's going to marry that asshole._

Kevin tensed up and finally took a deep breath. It wasn't worth getting worked up when he didn't even know the details yet. He texted Nazz and Edd.

Kevin: Hey guys. Gotta cancel tonight. Mom needs to me to come over.

Nazz: Well that blows.

Double D: Is everything alright?

Kevin: Yeah she just has some kind of news.

Nazz: Well that's cool. Want to come over to my house DD?

Double D: That sounds wonderful.

Kevin: You 2 have fun I guess. Ill text you both tomorrow.

Kevin went to his room and played video games until close to time to leave. He had his choice of the car or his motorcycle since his dad decided not to go play poker that night. His mom lived in Peach City, so she wasn't very far away. It only took him half an hour to get there. He found his mom's apartment and knocked. Only it wasn't his mom who answered the door. It was Dave. His mom had failed to mention that _he_ would be there.

Dave was the guy that his mother cheated on his father with. He was older than both his parents, probably close fifty. He had gray hair the match his short gray beard. "Hey there, son. Come on in."

Kevin cringed at the man calling him "son".

His mother was setting the table when he walked into the kitchen area. She set everything down and wrapped her son in a hug. "Oh Kevin, I've missed you so much."

Kevin smiled and took a seat as he waited on his mother to finish setting the table. The three made awkward small talk until his mother finally sat everyone down.

"Okay, Kevin. We wanted to tell you the news in person." said his mother as she took Dave's hand.

 _Gag me..._ thought Kevin but tried to keep the pleasant look on his face.

"David and I are getting married in the spring!" announced his mother cheerfully.

"That's great, mom." said Kevin with all the enthusiasm he could muster.

"Now, Kevin, I want you to think of me as your father. I'm a cool step-dad. And you can come to me for anything."

"I have a father." said Kevin with a little tension in his voice.

"I know, I know. I'm just saying. I hope you can accept me as part of the family."

Kevin plastered his fake smile on his face, "Of course I accept you." Kevin had seen a movie recently with Edd and Nazz that had a little girl who could start fires telepathically. What Kevin would have given for those powers. He would have set that bastard on fire right there and then.

"I am glad to hear you say that, Kevin." said his mother warmly. They talked about Kevin's last year of school and how things were going at the office where Dave and Kevin's mother both worked for a while. They were almost through with dinner when Dave asked, "Have you thought about college, Kevin?"

"A little bit. Thinking of applying to State."

"Oh a great school! You know you have to get an education nowadays. The job market is competitive. It's all the president's fault."

"Oh, Dave. Let's not talk about that. It's so unpleasant."

"Well he's about to be in the real world. He needs to know these kinds of things. Right, Kevin?"

"Sure." said Kevin halfheartedly. This was the longest dinner of his life.

"This president is terrible. He made it hard on the middle class American. Gun laws, health care, I could go on! And like I said, he completely ruined the job market by letting in all those immigrants. But the worst was him passing that "marriage equality" law." said Dave as he emphasized "marriage equality" with an air quote motion. "These gays and their agendas. Trying to completely redefine marriage."

"What does it matter?" said Kevin impatiently. How did this affect Dave? He was a middle aged businessman from Peach City. It didn't affect him at all, so why did he even care?

"Because this is just the beginning, son! Next thing you know people will be wanting to marry more than one person. Then some freaks would want to marry a horse! It opens the door to absolute chaos."

"That's idiotic." said Kevin as he clenched his fists. "All they are asking for is the same title and legal benefits as any couple. Moron..."

"Kevin! That is rude. Apologize to Dave!" said his mother sternly.

"Sorry." spit out Kevin.

"He's not wrong either. I'm surprised you are defending them, Kevin. Is it because you befriended that Eddward Vincent kid? He always seemed a little bit _that way_ to me."

"You're hanging out with a queer?" said Dave. That was it. Something just snapped.

Kevin slammed his hands down on the table and stood up, "Yeah I am hanging out with that queer. Because I'm a queer and he is my boyfriend. Got a problem?"

"Kevin!" shouted his mother in horror. "When did this happen? What did that boy do to you?"

"He didn't do anything mom! I was gay before I met him! I've fucked guys before!"

This time Dave slammed his hands down on his table, "You will not talk like that in my home."

"Go fuck yourself, Dave." said Kevin and went towards the door. He heard his mother calling his name but slammed the door. He took off on his motorcycle. He had two emotions fighting for control. One was anger. How could his mother marry such an asshole? And why didn't she defend him? Did she really care if he was gay or not? The second emotion was fear. Surely his mother was going to call his dad.

When Kevin got home, he sat on his motorcycle for about ten minutes before he finally got up the courage to walk in his front door. His dad was sitting right where he was when Kevin had left. His father didn't say anything to him.

"Hey." said Kevin as he sat down on the recliner.

His dad muted the TV and looked his son, "Hey."

"Did mom call?"

"Yep. That's twice in one day I've had to talk to her."

"Heh...sorry about that." said Kevin nervously.

"What did she tell you?"

"What do you think she told me, Kevin?"

Kevin looked down at the ground and found the courage, "That I'm gay?"

"Bingo, kiddo. But that wasn't the most exciting part. She said you yelled at that son of a bitch that she's up and decided to marry. Oh I actually enjoyed that part of the conversation quite a bit. Did you really go tell him to go fuck himself?"

"Yeah I did." said Kevin with a small laugh.

"That's my boy." said his dad with a deep laugh.

"So you're okay? Okay with me?"

"Kevin, I don't know if you know this but you're not exactly the quietest kid in the world. I knew you were screwing that boy from your baseball team. Sleepovers my foot... I could hear you kids through two walls."

"Dad, that was two years ago." said Kevin in shock.

"Yep. I figured you would tell me when you were ready. Look Kevin, I really don't care where you put your dick. As long as your happy. And that is exactly what I told your mother."

"Dad, that was almost the nicest thing you've ever said to me."

"I'm a regular poet. Now go get me a beer. Grab yourself one too. You deserve it after telling that dickhead off."

"Thanks, Dad."


	8. Chapter 8

It was the Saturday before Thanksgiving and Edd was working on some homework. Things had been going great with Kevin, but his relationship with Eddy had been suffering. Kevin had started having basketball practice after school which freed Edd up until five. Unfortunately that two hour time frame after school was not enough to keep Eddy happy. Whenever Edd said he had to go, Eddy threw a fit then claimed that Edd just didn't like them as much anymore. Edd was growing weary of trying to keep Eddy happy. He wished he could just tell him that he was dating someone and that would be the end of it. Eddy had blew him and Ed off whenever he was seeing a girl their junior year, so he didn't have much room to talk. But that would mean telling him everything, and he simply could not do that right now. At least this didn't happen everyday since Eddy worked most days out of the week.

Edd was on his couch with his history book resting in his lap whenever his phone illuminated on the coffee table. It was his mom. He had been expecting a call from his parents since they were supposed to get home this weekend and stay for a week. As much as Edd valued his space and privacy, he was actually looking forward to seeing his parents.

"Hello, mother." said Eddward as he answered the call.

"Hello, Eddward. I trust you are doing well."

"Very well. Are you and father on your way to Peach Creek? Will you be arriving tomorrow?"

"Actually, there has been a change in plans. Your father and I are presenting our research to the European Science Council next week. The University is sending us tomorrow."

"But it's Thanksgiving..." said Edd with a touch of anger and sadness in his voice. He was used to disappointment when it came to his parents, but this was the longest they had ever gone without coming home.

"I know, Eddward, but this is very important to your father and I. Can you spend the holiday with one of your little hooligan friends?"

"I will figure something out." said Edd and closed the phone without saying goodbye. He knew it was impolite but it was just making him so angry. His parents were not the affectionate type and had always been workaholics, but they always managed to make it home for the important things like holidays and birthdays. His phone dinged notifying him of a text.

Mother: I know you are angry with us, but there is no reason to be rude. We will be home for Christmas. Promise. We love you, Eddward.

Edd looked at the phone for a little while before responding.

Eddward: I apologize. I love you as well. Have a safe trip.

Edd looked up at the clock to see that it was a little after six. Kevin and Nazz said they would be at his house about six, so they would be there any moment. Edd straightened his papers up and walked to the kitchen to get a glass of water. He leaned against the counter deep in thought. He needed to discuss something with Kevin. Edd had talked Kevin into to applying to State, but what Kevin didn't know was that Edd had also applied there. It was a decent school with some promising programs, but it wasn't where he really wanted to go. He was afraid though that his relationship with Kevin wouldn't last if he moved off very far. That being said, if he was accepted to Ivy University, their relationship would just have to suffer. He wasn't going to turn down the number one school in the country. Or would he? Edd blew out a sigh. He was terrible at making decisions.

Edd heard a knock at the door and went to let Kevin inside. But it wasn't Kevin, it was Eddy. Eddy pushed his way into the house and propped himself up on the arm of the couch as Edd said, "E-eddy? Can I help you?"

"Yeah, sockhead. Come hang out with me and lumpy. I called into work tonight. They had me working a bunch of days in a row and I needed a night off. So are you coming?"

"I'm afraid I'm otherwise engaged. You should have called first." said Edd.

"You always say no when I call. And of course you are busy." said Eddy with an eye roll. "You know, I never thought I would see the day when you got tired of us."

"I'm not tired of you or Ed. I am just simply busy."

"Busy doing what?"

"I'm just busy!" said Edd losing his patience.

"Oh yeah right. You can't even tell me! I see you during lunch at school and that's it. And even then you aren't paying attention half the time!"

Edd considered lying and telling him that his parents were coming home. He thought about telling him off. He thought about a lot of things until he saw his front door open and Nazz and Kevin walked in.

"What the fuck is this?" asked Eddy as he looked at Double D.

"Oh hey, Eddy. Sup?" asked Nazz uncomfortably. She shot a questioning look towards Double D.

"Oh I get it now. Fucking nice. You make friends with Shovel Chin and Blondie and now Ed and I aren't good enough for you." said Eddy angrily.

"That's not it, Eddy!" said Double D.

"Fucking save it." said Eddy as he walked towards the door.

"I'm allowed to have other friends..." said Edd. It was meant to be him standing up for himself, but it came out as more of a whisper.

"Yeah it doesn't mean you forget about your other ones." said Eddy and slammed the door.

Eddy stomped across the street and into Ed's house. What was up with that guy? How the heck did he even start hanging out with Kevin? Double D had said that he was tutoring him but... Kevin had always been such a jerk to them when they were growing up. Why the hell would he want to hang out with a douche like that anyway? He went downstairs to find Ed glued to the TV screen.

"Is Double D coming, Eddy?" asked Ed excitedly.

"Nope. He would rather hang out with his new friends."

"New friends? Did he replace us?" asked Ed sadly.

"'Fraid so, Monobrow." said Eddy as he dug cigarettes out of his jacket pocket.

"You can't smoke those in here, Eddy! Sarah will smell them and then she will tell mom on us!"

Eddy sighed and walked towards the window so he could blow the smoke outside. "Can you fucking believe that though? He is fucking hanging out with Nazz and Boxhead."

"Yup, I can believe it." said Ed as he went back to watching his tv show.

"What do you mean you can believe it? They act like they don't even know each other at school."

"It's because they are in love." said Ed simply.

"Who? Nazz and Double D?"

"Nope. Kevin and Double D."

Eddy snorted loudly as he gave a sarcastic laugh. "You're such an idiot, Ed. There is no fucking way."

"If you say so, Eddy." said Ed and kept staring at the screen.

"Do you really think Double D is gay?" asked Eddy after he took a deep inhale.

"He looks at boys like you look at girls and how I look at gravy."

"Hmm... thanks for the weird visual of you and gravy, Ed." said Eddy as he shook his head. "So why do you think he is with Kevin?"

"Same thing, Eddy. Kevin tries really hard not to look at Double D at school but doesn't do a very good job."

"You're so full of shit." said Eddy.

Across the street Edd, Kevin, and Nazz were sitting around Edd's kitchen table.

"Well that was super awkward." said Nazz.

"Eddy has been angry with me for a while now." said Edd with a sigh.

"Do you think maybe he has a point though, Edd? I mean you guys used to be like brothers. How often do you hang out with them?" asked Nazz.

Edd was surprised to hear Nazz defending Eddy after he behaved so appallingly. He was really surprised whenever Kevin chimed in, "I mean we do see each other every day. I know how I felt whenever Nazz started dating Daniel. But at least we make it a point to hang out ever Saturday. You know how I feel about Eddy" sneered Kevin, "But I also know how you feel about that moron."

Edd paused and pondered on that for a moment. Maybe he had been neglecting his friends. It was difficult to balance everything in his life, especially when some parts of it were a secret. "You two might have a point. Maybe I should text him."

"I think that's a good idea. I'll go put in a movie while you do that." said Nazz and motioned for Kevin to follow her.

Double D: I am sorry that I have been a terrible friend lately. I just find it hard to balance all of my responsibilities as well as friends. I would like to get together tomorrow if you are not otherwise engaged.

Eddy: Yeah mybe I was being 2 hard on u. I work tomorrow but I get off at 3.

Double D: Would you and Ed come over then?

Eddy: Eh ill think about it.

Eddy: Jk Yeah we will be there.

There was beat of silence until another text came through.

Eddy: You know u can tell me anything right?

What was he talking about?

Double D: I am not sure what you are talking about, but thank you Eddy. I will see you tomorrow.

Edd hoped he wasn't talking about _that_. Surely he wasn't. How could he have known? For all he knows, he, Nazz, and Kevin were all just hanging out. Edd got up and walked into the living room.

"Everything okay?" asked Kevin as Edd sat next to him on the couch.

"Yeah I just have a lot on my mind." said Edd and Kevin put his arm around him.

"So when are your parents getting in?" asked Kevin.

"They aren't." said Edd with a little bitterness in his voice.

"But I thouht-.."

"I thought so too but they are going to the ESC conference next week and have a plane to catch tomorrow."

"I'm sorry, babe." said Kevin sincerely.

"It's fine."

"Well why don't you come hang out with me and dad on Thanksgiving? Dad is going to attempt to fry a turkey and he's going to try not to set the garage on fire. It's going to be a blast."

"That doesn't sound healthy."

"What? Eating deep fried turkey or Dad trying to keep the firemen busy?"

"Both I suppose. Is it just you and your father?"

"Yup. All of Dad's family lives down south. And Mom is having her family over but Dave said he doesn't want me there."

"Fuck, dude. I can't believe your mom is still with that asshole." said Nazz.

"Well she agrees with him. Mom was never super religious until her and Dave got serious. Which is actually kind of funny because isn't a commandment not to sleep with someone else's wife?"

"Something like that." said Nazz.

"Anyway, she called me last week to tell me about a nice place that Dave knows of where they council you into not being gay anymore."

"One of those "pray away the gay" places?"

"Yup. When I told her I had no interest, she told me I wasn't welcome in her home until I stopped it with all of this "nonsense". Then she had the gall to tell me that she wasn't going to get me anything for my birthday or Christmas. Like I was going to be like "Oh gee mom, let me completely change who I am so you can give me a sweater."" said Kevin in a mocking voice.

"Well I'm sorry dude. That's shit. At least your dad is cool. By the way, your birthday is coming up. What do you want?" said Nazz.

"Eh you know me. I don't really care." said Kevin.

"When is your birthday?" asked Edd. He was going to have to get Kevin something special.

"It's the thirtieth."

"Going to be the first one of us to turn legal! You can finally buy your own cigarettes! And you know...other stuff. But that's the most important." smiled Nazz.

They all laughed and had a good evening. Nazz went home about midnight since they had decided not to drink. They were nervous about Edd's parents coming home. This was before they knew that Edd's parents weren't coming. Kevin decided to stay the night and was already curled up in Edd's bed before Edd was even finished getting dressed.

"Hey can we talk for a second?" asked Edd after he had slipped pajama bottoms on.

"Uh-oh. Is everything okay?"

"Why wouldn't it be?"

"That's how people start a sentence when they are going to say something that's not okay."

"Not it's nothing bad, I'm just concerned about something."

"Okay. What's up?"

"Well as you know, graduation is right around the corner. We are almost halfway done with the year."

"Uh-huh."

"And we have been talking about colleges. And well you know I have applied to a lot of places."

"But you really want to go to Ivy University."

"Yes. Well, it is always wise to apply to back up schools just in case. I've applied to a few schools around the country as well as Ivy. I've also applied to Big Apple University...and I applied for State."

"State? Why? I mean you are so smart. You could go to school anywhere."

"Well because, if this continues going well. I don't want to lose you..."

"You aren't going to lose me, Edd. You don't ever have to worry about that. I've been thinking about that too. Edd I don't have to go to college. I don't even know what I would do"

"You could do a lot of things."

"I've been thinking about going and getting certified to work on vehicles. And I can do that anywhere. So wherever you go to college, I can just go with you. You know... if you will let me follow you. And you would do one thing."

"What's that?"

"Move in with me when we graduate."

"T-th-that's a big step, Kevin."

"I know, but I love you, Edd."

Edd's eyes went wide, "You do?"

"Yeah I do."

"I love you, too."

Kevin pulled Edd in for a passionate kiss. They had been getting to know each other's bodies quite well lately. They had experimented with a lot but had never actually gotten around to intercourse. But tonight was the night. Kevin knew that when Edd whispered in his ear that he was ready. Kevin threw back the blankets and pushed Edd onto his back. Kevin whipped his shirt off and threw it across the room. They rolled around and took clothes off until they both were completely naked.

Kevin reached into Edd's bedside drawer and removed a condom and the lube. "Are you ready?"

Edd nodded and focused on relaxing his body while Kevin put the condom on. Kevin positioned Edd so that he could still be on his back but he still had access to him. Kevin put copious amounts of lubricant on himself and then started putting some on Edd. He slipped a couple of fingers in to prepare Edd. Edd scrunched up his face and tensed up.

"You are going to have to relax." said Kevin softly. Edd listened to him and took deep breathes. Kevin started by putting the tip in and proceeded slowly.

Edd didn't like it at all at first. It hurt. A lot. But Edd kept focusing on breathing and relaxing. After a while, Edd felt the pain being replaced by pleasure. The feeling of him going in and out was starting to feel amazing. It still was a little uncomfortable but it was bearable. Kevin kept his pace steady, never going too fast or hard. He watched Edd's face. He watched as the pained look on his face turned calmer and his mouth opened slightly as he let out a soft moan. Kevin finally couldn't hold out any longer and finished. He went into the bathroom and threw away the condom. Edd went into the hallway bathroom to clean up a little and get dressed into his pjs again. They crawled back into bed together and Kevin pulled Edd in close.

"I hope that was good for you." said Kevin.

"It was. I love you."

"I love you, too."


	9. Chapter 9

Edd was walking down the halls of the high school looking for Kevin. He didn't quite know why but he felt like he _had_ to find him right then. He was shoving past people who were way too close to him. Everyone was going in the opposite direction which struck Edd as odd but he didn't give it much more thought.

He had to find Kevin. He absolutely had to. Edd finally made it to the gym where he knew Kevin would be. He was there with all of his basketball friends. They were all in the same uniform, which made Kevin look like one of them. One of the jocks, the popular kids, the people that hated Edd. He went to call out for Kevin but couldn't make a sound.

One of the players turned and sneered at him, "Kevin, you're little stalker is here."

Kevin turned and looked angry, "What the hell do you want, Double Dork?"

 _Double Dork? He hasn't called me that in months...What's going on?_

"Go away, queer. Nobody wants you here." said one of the other boys.

"Kevin wants me here." said Edd in a bare whisper.

"Why the fuck would I want someone like you here?" sneered Kevin.

"Why are you being like this? You told you loved me!" yelled Edd as he finally found his voice.

"How could I love someone like you? Fag."

All of the players crowded towards Edd. They were going to beat them up. No...They were going to kill him. He knew it. When Kevin balled his hand into a fist and went to take a swing, Edd finally woke up. He was clutching the covers and breathing heavily. Kevin was shaking his arm, trying to wake him up.

"Dude, wake up!" shouted Kevin.

Edd shot bolt upright and Kevin put his arm around him as tears formed in Edd's eyes. "I'm awake now..." he whispered.

"What's wrong?" asked Kevin.

"I had a nightmare. I apologize for startling you."

"Don't worry about that. Are you okay? What was the nightmare about?"

"I don't want to talk about it." said Edd as he pulled his knees into his chest.

"Edd. Talk to me."

"It seems silly when I say it out loud. For me to be this shaken..."

"Tell me about it. I won't think it's silly. Not even if it was about radioactive spiders."

Edd cracked a smile and then let it fall, "I had a dream that I was trying to find you at school. I didn't know why but it was absolutely imperative that I find you. When I finally did find you, you were in the gym with the basketball players. You told me that you didn't love me. Then you... you called me..."

"What?"

"Well...Oh I hate this word. Fag. You called me a fag." said Edd with disgust. Not only did he hate that ugly word for being filled with malice, he was tired of hearing it. He had heard it for years and was sick to death of it.

"Edd, why in the hell would I ever call you that?"

"I don't know... In my dream... you weren't you. Well, you were the old you. You where who I thought you were until we got together. And then you and the others came towards me like you were going to hurt me. Somehow I knew that everyone's intention was to kill me."

Kevin pulled Edd into his arms, "I would never do anything to hurt you. And I sure as hell wouldn't let anybody else hurt you." Kevin looked down at Edd who was still a little freaked out. He pushed Edd's long shaggy black hair out of his face.

"I was just so frightened. It wasn't just how you were acting, it was the fear that they were going to kill me. It felt so real."

Kevin held Edd and calmed him down until he fell asleep. Kevin couldn't fall back asleep so he stared at the ceiling. He knew Edd had been nervous since Kevin's parents found out about their relationship. There was always a chance that somebody's parents would know Kevin's mom and then everyone would find out. Kevin tried really hard to be there for Edd and he didn't want him to worry more, so he didn't tell Edd that he was more nervous than he was about people finding out. To a degree Kevin thought Edd had to be used to people giving him crap, but he certainly wasn't.

Nobody ever gave him a hard time. Kevin was the master of being someone he wasn't. He laughed at dumb jokes that he didn't think was funny, he hung out with people who he secretly disliked, he pretended to be just another dumb guy. If he could just make it through until graduation, he would be able to come out. Or at least that is what he told himself.

Kevin must have dozed off because when he opened his eyes again, Edd was gone. He usually woke up before Kevin and went downstairs to cook breakfast. As soon as Kevin hit the stairs the smell of bacon hit him in the face. He grabbed his jacket and slipped it on over his sleep clothes.

"Good morning." said Double D from the stove.

"Morning. Hey I'm going outside to smoke before we eat." said Kevin as he pulled the menthols that Nazz's cousin bought for him out of his pocket.

Edd's smile fell a little but he said, "Okay."

"What?"

"I just get concerned about your smoking. You know it could lead to some serious health issues and..."

"I know you have said it before. I just...I just need it until we graduate. I need it to put up with all those dumbasses at school. I'll quit then, okay?"

"If you say so." said Edd as he turned back towards the stove.

"Hey." said Kevin as he walked behind Edd and put his arms around his waist. "I love you."

"I love you too. That's why I worry."

Kevin kissed the back of Edd's head and went out to the back yard. They had a privacy fence that was high enough that if Kevin was sitting on the bottom step, he wasn't really worried about anybody seeing him. Besides he put his hood up on his jacket. As he inhaled deeply and let the smoke fill his lungs, he thought about Edd. He was crazy about him. And really they didn't have that much longer left. They were out of school most of this week for Thanksgiving break. Then they had three weeks of school until time for winter break. Then their senior year would be halfway over.

Meanwhile, inside Edd was finishing the bacon and threw some toast into the toaster. He couldn't get that dream out of his head. He wished he could focus on the positive events that happened the night before, but the horrid dream just kept popping back into his head. Edd heard the back door open and saw Kevin come in. He pulled his jacket off and sat at the kitchen table. They talked over breakfast before Kevin said that it was probably a good idea if he snuck back home before most everyone was out.

Edd agreed, although he wanted Kevin to stay. It would have been different if Edd wasn't expecting the other Eds to come over. They could of just hid out all day, but they couldn't. So Kevin gave him a passionate kiss goodbye and left. Edd spent the morning cleaning, then ran to grab a few groceries before settling in to do homework until Eddy and Ed arrived. It wasn't long after three when he heard furious knocking on his door. Eddy just couldn't knock politely.

Across the cul de sac, Kevin watched from the window of his bedroom as Ed and Eddy went into Edd's house. He picked up the phone and called Nazz.

"Hello?" she said in a small voice.

"Hey. I was calling to see if you wanted to do something today."

"I don't know..." she said sadly.

"What's wrong? You sound upset."

"Yeah." she said and Kevin could hear her start crying.

"Nazz, I'm coming over." said Kevin and hung up.

Nazz's mom answered the door when Kevin knocked after he basically ran to Nazz's house.

"Oh, hello Kevin." said Nazz's mom. Nazz looked so much like her mom that they were often mistaken for sisters. Her mom had Nazz when she was very young, only eighteen, and Nazz's mom took care of herself. So she looked young for her age anyway. She was always put together. Even now she had her brushed, a light layer of make up on, and smelled strongly of perfume.

"Hey can I talk to Nazz." asked Kevin.

"That's fine with me. She's been upset all day and she's been locked in her room. She won't talk to me. Maybe you can get her to open up." said Nazz's mom as she stepped to the side to allow Kevin to pass.

Kevin nodded her way as he went down the hall to Nazz's room. "Hey Nazz it's me. Open up."

Nazz opened the door. She had on an oversized black t shirt over a pair of gray sweat pants. Her hair was messy and her eyes were bloodshot.

"Nazz, what the hell is going on?"

"Daniel broke up with me." she said as tears ran down her eyes.

Kevin wasn't very good with displays of emotion like this. His best response to situations like this were usually patting them on the shoulder. But this was his best friend so he was going to do his best to be comforting.

"What? Why?" he said as he came in and sat in the chair that was by her computer desk.

She flopped down at the end of her bed and said with her legs crossed under her.

"He told me he didn't want me hanging around you and Edd anymore. He said it was weird. He accused me of cheating on him with you. And I couldn't just tell him about you guys."

"When did this happen?"

"Well he started texting me while I was with you guys last night but the fight blew up this morning."

"I'm sorry, Nazz." he said sincerely. He didn't know what to tell her. He couldn't say, "Oh you know what? It's okay. Call him back. Tell him that Me and Dee are gay." No that definitely wasn't going to happen.

"It's okay I guess. I just wish things hadn't gone as far as they did with him. I'm just such an idiot."

"You're not an idiot, Nazz. Come on. Grab your shoes. Let's go cruise around."

Edd heard Nazz's car roar to life and glanced out the window from his couch. He wished he could go with them. He really wanted all of them to be able to hang out together. But Eddy and Kevin would never put themselves in the same social situation.

"Did you hear what I said?" asked Eddy.

"I'm sorry, I spaced out. You were saying?" said Double D.

"You space out all the damn time! What's going on inside your head?" asked Eddy impatiently.

"Maybe he has brain parasites, Eddy." said Ed has he tried to looked in Double D's ear.

"Unhand me! I do not have parasites. I just have a lot on my mind." said Double D as he tried to push Ed away.

"A lot of parasites..." said Ed as he gave Double D his personal space.

"Anyway, as I was saying, I had enough for a down payment on this car. I swindled the guy into going way down on the price."

"I thought you said your father went with you to the used car lot." said Edd skeptically.

"Yeah Pops helped. But it was my smooth talking that sealed the deal."

"That's nice, Eddy."

There was a few beats of silence before Eddy finally had to get it off his chest.

"Hey... um... so..." Eddy started stammering. Which surprised Double D. Eddy was usually so sure of himself and rarely even stuttered. "Look, Ed said something."

"Ed says quite a lot of things." said Double D as he raised an eyebrow.

"It's true. I as wise as the fence post in July." said Ed.

"What?" said Double D.

"Just ignore him. Anyway, he said something and I just had to ask. Because you know you...well... Oh for fuck's sake I am just going to say it. Are you gay, Double D?"

"What?" repeated Double D. He tried to keep his cool. These were his best friends but he really didn't think he could trust them to keep his secret quiet.

"Ed said something about thinking that you..." said Eddy being interrupted by Double D.

"I-i-i-i can assure you that..." stuttered Edd as Ed chimed in.

"Eddy! I told you not to say anything. Double D would say something when he was ready!" said Ed frustrated.

"Gentleman, I am not a homosexual." lied Edd. He only had to make it until May. Surely they would forgive him for wanting to stay securely in his closet once he did tell them then.

"See, I told you Ed." said Eddy.

The rest of the afternoon was awkward to say the least. Double D barely spoke, he just kept to himself but did respond when one of the boys asked him something. When Ed and Eddy finally left, Double D pulled out his phone and texted Kevin.

Double D: Ed and Eddy just left. Could you come over?

Kevin: I will try to in a bit. Nazz is having a bad day. Daniel broke up with her.

Double D: Oh no! Take your time. Just whenever you can.

Kevin: She read my texts and told me to go over to ur house. She said she was fine.

Double D: Are you sure that she is fine? Maybe you should stay.

Kevin: Yes, DD. I am all right. Kevin will be over soon.

"Promise me that you are okay." said Kevin as he headed towards Nazz's bedroom door.

"I promise. You spent all afternoon cheering me up. I'm all better. Go see your man."

Kevin nodded and started towards Edd's house. It was only seven but it was already pitch black outside. Kevin looked around and didn't see anybody watching him, so he strolled straight to Edd's house. Little did he know, Ed and Eddy were peering out of Eddy's bedroom window.

"See, I told you they are in love!" said Ed. "Kevin is heading there now!"

"Shut it. Double D tutors Boxhead because he's an idiot. Double D wouldn't lie to us. We are his best friends."

"A lie isn't a lie when it's a truthish lie."

"What?"

"He lied but he wants to tell the truth." sighed Ed as if what he said made perfect sense.

"No he wouldn't lie. And besides there is no way he is with Kevin. I keep telling you that. Get that through your thick skull. Kevin. Is. Not. Gay. I'll prove it to you." said Eddy.

It got dark early in the winter and Eddy was going to use this to his advantage. He threw a black shirt to Ed. Eddy put one on himself and pulled a black hat onto his head.

"We are going to do some snooping. Put that black shirt on, Ed. We are going incognito."

"Okay. Whatever you say, Eddy." said Ed and tried to put on the shirt Eddy had thrown him. Now Eddy was only about 5'5 and Ed towered over him at just over 6'3. So the shirt he put on only went to about his belly button.

"Look Eddy, I'm a genie!" said Ed as he motioned towards his exposed midriff.

Eddy rolled his eyes, "I guess that will have to work."

They tiptoed across the yards, careful to avoid the street lights. Eddy was doing a better job of being stealthy that Ed, who just lumbered after him. They finally reached Double D's house and they looked through the living room window.

Kevin and Edd were just sitting on the couch. They were talking about something.

"See Ed, they are just talking. Must be about homework or some shit." whispered Eddy.

"We should leave." said Ed, "I feel weird spying on Double D." said Ed in his normal voice.

Eddy pushed his head down to the ground and put his hand over his mouth. "Will you shut it? We have to be quiet!" he whispered aggressively.

Eddy waited for about a minute before he loosened his grip on Ed and the two peered back into the window. They didn't seem to hear Ed. Eddy watched as they talked for a couple more minutes.

"Okay this is boring." he said in a whisper as he prepared to sneak away.

But before he could pull himself away from the window, Eddy saw Double D pull himself over to Kevin. He swung his leg over so that he was straddling Kevin. Kevin wrapped his arms around Double D and pulled him forward, then he started kissing him passionately.

"What the fuck?!" yelled Eddy. This time the two did hear the Eds outside the window. They both turned and Kevin practically threw Edd off onto the couch. He stormed towards the front door. Eddy was scrambling to get up but he kept tripping over himself. Ed just stood there.

Kevin grabbed Eddy by the collar, "You two. Inside. _Now_."

Eddy struggled against Kevin dragging him into Edd's house but Ed followed behind without question. Kevin spun Eddy around and pushed him hard in the chest, making him fall backwards onto the love seat.

"What the fuck were you two doing spying on us?" asked Kevin.

"What the fuck were you two doing?" spit back Eddy.

"Eddy..." started Double D.

"You fucking lied to us. You lied to my face today. You lie to us all the time?, don't you. How many times did you say that you were busy and you were really hanging out with Shovel Chin? And by the way. KEVIN? You just had to pick the biggest bastard?"

Kevin pulled his arm back like he was going to hit Eddy. Edd put his hand on Kevin's arm and Kevin relaxed. This was bizarre for Eddy to see Edd touch Kevin with such familiarity.

Edd looked Eddy in the eyes, "I'm sorry that I lied to you. I didn't know how you were going to take the news that I was...well...you know."

"Gay?" finished Eddy.

"Yes. And I was afraid that Ed here wouldn't be able to keep a secret."

"Monobrow was the one who brought it up. He said he could just tell." said Eddy.

"Ed?" said Double D as he looked at his simple friend.

"I've known for a long time, Double D. I just didn't say anything because I knew you didn't want to tell nobody. You are a bad pretender." said Ed with a blank grin on his face. Maybe Ed was a lot more intelligent than everyone gave him credit for.

"That still doesn't explain why you were spying on us. Or why you and Ed are in that ridiculous get up." said Edd.

"I was trying to prove Ed wrong. I didn't think there was anyway Mr. Popular-Sports man-Asshat over here was gay." said Eddy as he shot a venomous look towards Kevin.

"So what the fuck are you going to do about it, Eddy?" said Kevin.

"He's not going to do anything, Kevin. Stop." said Double D as he pulled Kevin back slightly.

"He could ruin everything, Edd!" said Kevin furiously.

"I'm not going to tell anybody. But we aren't friends anymore, Double D." said Eddy with anger in his voice.

"What? Because I'm gay?" asked Edd shocked.

"No. Because you lied. We've been friends since pre-school, Edd. You should have known that I wouldn't have said anything. I've never given you a reason not to trust me. And of all the people that you could have dated, you had to pick this asshole. He has always been a jerk to us. No he's always been a jerk to me. And that doesn't matter to you."

"Eddy. It's not like that. He's-..."

"An ass. Always has been, always will be. You have fun with that." said Eddy. He pushed past everybody but paused once he got to the front door. "I'm not going to tell anybody. Have a nice life."

Ed looked back and forth from the door to Kevin and Double D.

Double D smiled at him, "Go on, Ed. Follow him."

"Thanks, Double D. We are still friends, okay?"

"Thank you, Ed." said Double D. He turned towards Kevin and buried himself in his chest as he tried to fight tears.

"Hey. It's okay." said Kevin as he tried to comfort him.

"I'm such an idiot."


	10. Chapter 10

"Still no word from Eddy ?" asked Kevin as he and Edd sat on the couch in Kevin's house. Kevin's dad could be heard cursing from the garage as he attempted to deep fry the Thanksgiving turkey.

"No. I've called a few times, I've texted him...I don't know what else to do." said Edd with a defeated look on his face.

"Just forget about him, Edd." said Kevin as he put his hand on top of Edd's.

"I can't just forget about him! We've been friends our whole lives." said Edd as he pulled his hand away, "I should have just told him..."

"Son of a bitch!" shouted Kevin's dad from the garage.

"Maybe we should go check on your father." said Edd.

"He's fine." said Kevin.

"But what if he hurt himself?"

"I promise. He's fine."

Kevin's dad appeared in the living room. "Nope. Not fine. Get in the car boys. We are going to the ER."

"The ER?! What happened?" said Edd frantically.

"Dad, what the hell did you do to your hand?" asked Kevin as he saw his dad's hand. There were splotches stretching from his hand onto his forearm that were welping up and the skin was starting to pull away.

"So when they say not to put a frozen turkey in the fryer. They mean it. I probably should have thawed it all the way. Anyway, some hot oil may or may not have splashed onto my hand. Also I may or may not be suffering from a third degree burn. So quit judging me and get in the car." said Kevin's dad as he held his hand out. The nasty looking burn was making Edd nauseated.

"Come on, dad." said Kevin as they headed to the garage. Edd wondered if he should even be going but Kevin's dad told them both to get in the car. Kevin got behind the driver's seat and Edd got in the back.

"So I think we are going to pick up a pizza on the way home. That won't destroy ya'll's Thanksgiving will it?" said Kevin's dad as his slight southern accent slipped out.

"No. I think we will be fine." laughed Kevin as he drove down the street.

"What about you, Edd?" asked Kevin's dad he peered around the back.

"I am okay with anything that isn't sitting at home alone. Although I hate that you hurt yourself."

"Yeah, Kevin mentioned that your parents are out of town. They are busy folks, aren't they?"

"Yes. The university keeps them busy." said Edd without wanting to go in to much detail.

"Well you are always welcome to hang out with me and Kev. We keep life interesting. How many holidays have you spent in the ER?"

"I have to say this will be my first." laughed Edd.

Once they arrived at the hospital, Kevin's dad went straight back. The ER was pretty empty due to the holiday. They let Kevin and Edd go back with him. They weren't waiting long before a nurse's assistant came by and took his vitals.

"I don't know what my blood pressure has to do with the burn on my hand." said Kevin's dad as the assistant positioned the cuff.

"It's just policy." said the assistant who had obviously just started a long shift and was not happy about working on Thanksgiving.

"Dad, be nice." said Kevin.

"I'm sorry, ma'am. I'm just grumpy because my hand is hurting. I didn't mean to be rude to such a pretty nurse." said Kevin's dad and winked at the girl.

She gave him a smirk, "I'm just the assistant."

"I didn't mean to be rude to such a pretty assistant."

Edd thought to himself that Kevin must have inherited all of his charm from his dad. It didn't take long for Kevin's dad to be treated for second degree burns and be sent on his way. When Edd had woke up that morning, he was prepared to have a bad day. He wanted to be angry that his parents weren't home and that he wasn't spending the day with his family. But this was by far the best Thanksgiving he had ever had. Kevin's dad had Kevin stop on the way home and he grabbed two pizzas. They spent the rest of the day either in front of the tv or playing cards. Edd was surprised that Kevin's father was so accepting towards him and Kevin. Kevin had told him that his dad was okay with them, but to actually have him welcome Edd was different.

"Alright boys, it's been a good day but I have to get to bed." said Kevin's dad about nine. "I'm glad you got to join us, Edd."

"Thank you for having me, Mr. Barr." smiled Edd shyly.

"Did you have a good day?" asked Kevin after they had started walking to Edd's house.

"Actually, I did." smiled Edd.

"Good, I'm glad." said Kevin.

"I'm just so surprised your dad was so welcoming towards me."

"He likes you. He thinks you are a good influence. Which maybe you are. I have maintained a least a B in all of my classes except math."

"I know I am very proud." smiled Edd. They made it to his house and Edd opened the door. He flipped the lights on and put his coat neatly away on the coat rack. "Kevin, what time does the clock say? I can't make it out and my phone died."

"It says ten after nine. You need to go get your eyes checked. You need glasses." said Kevin as he pulled Edd in close.

"So things far away are a little blurry. I am perfectly content with that. I am not getting glasses. I would look absurd."

"I think you'd look hot."

"I think you have a type, Kevin."

Kevin smiled at this comment and pulled Edd into him. He started giving love bites down his neck. He pulled up for a second, "You're damn right I have a type. I like 'em nerdy. Smart." Between each description he gave a small nibble. "Cute. Clever. Funny."

Edd was melting in Kevin's grasp. "You're going to give me a hickey if you don't stop." He said softly.

Kevin smirked and went in to give him one hell of a love bite. Edd moaned and laughed. He was going to have to dig out the few turtlenecks that he owned, because there was no way he was going to put a stop to this. Edd gasped as Kevin literally swept him off his feet. Edd was not tall and he did not weight much. So Kevin carried him easily up the stairs.

Kevin threw him on the bed and pulled his shirt over his head, revealing the toned freckled body underneath. It was dark and the only light they had was the moon and the streetlights outside. That was all they needed. Edd sat up and let Kevin lay on the bed beside him. He took the moment to position himself on top of Kevin. This was a more dominant position than he was used to. They kissed for a while until Edd let his kisses start dropping lower.

Now they had given each other oral before, but Edd had been spending some time researching fellatio online and had a few new things he wanted to try out. Edd helped Kevin out of his pants and mentally prepared himself for the task at hand. Kevin was very gifted when it came to his male appendage, and Edd had a bad gag reflex. But he was getting better. Edd wrapped his lips around Kevin's cock and started moving up and down. He used his hand as well as his mouth, so that there was less to take in. That being said, he still had quite the mouthful.

He swished his tongue around playfully. This earned a loud groan from Kevin. He pulled the hat off of Edd's head and started gripping his hair lightly. He guided Edd gently to go faster. Edd followed the lead and increased speed. Harder, faster, until finally Kevin felt his body tense up, he was on the verge of orgasm. He tapped the back of Edd's head and eased him off in time for him to finish. Edd had been quite explicit that he did not mind performing oral sex, but he did not want Kevin to finish in his mouth. Edd ran into his bathroom and grabbed a towel. He handed it to Kevin before going back to brush his teeth.

Kevin cleaned up and waited for Edd to return. "Hey it's your turn."

"Reciprocation is not necessary. I just wanted to please you."

"And I want to please you. All night long."

"Something tells me that I am not going to very much sleep tonight."

"Nope."

 **Hey guys! I know this is a short chapter. I was going to make it longer but I just really liked ending it here. I hope you all are having a good holiday season so far! Thanks for reading! :)**

 **~Lovely Dork~**


	11. Chapter 11

Love. It can be a strange concept. You find someone and then you start spending every waking moment that you are able together. Falling deeper and deeper down that rabbit hole until your whole world is all topsy-turvey. That person is the first thing you think of when you wake in the morning and the last thing you think of as your eyes close at night. When something good happens they are the first person you want to tell your good news and the first person you seek comfort in when something goes wrong. Love is powerful, strange, insane, and wonderful. This is where Edd and Kevin both found themselves. At the bottom. They were both completely and totally in love with one another.

The only problem that Kevin had was that he was not romantic.

"You want to get him a candle for his birthday?" said Nazz as she raised her eyebrow at him. They were at the Peach Creek Mall doing some Christmas/Edd's birthday shopping.

"Quit giving me that look! I'm bad at this..." said Kevin.

"That's an understatement. What did you say he got you again?"

"A signed baseball card of my favorite player. He found it online..." said Kevin guiltily.

"Yeah that's a good gift. An Endless Summer candle? Not so much... What does summer even smell like?" she said and grabbed the candle. She inhaled deeply, "Oh hell no. Summer doesn't smell like that. That smells like barf."

"I can't even pick out a candle." said Kevin getting frustrated.

"Well what does he like?"

"School and shit..."

"Wow that's specific." said Nazz as she rolled her eyes.

"Shit, Nazz. I don't know. He likes to read. He is always reading. Books I haven't even heard of. Books he doesn't even have to read! He does it because he enjoys it!"

"That madman." said Nazz sarcastically.

"Right?" said Kevin missing her sarcasm, "He's not big on video games, but he will play with me once in a while."

"I bet he plays with you..."

"Quit being dirty. Anyway, he's not big on tv. I don't want to get him clothes. He likes a lot of music, but I don't want to get him a cd. I know he like science and shit, but I don't even know what to get him that has anything to do with that. I'm at my wit's end here, man."

"Well you better think of something quick. His birthday is tomorrow. I can't believe you waited until the last minute."

"Quit juding me! I feel bad enough."

"Have you just thought about just _asking_ him what he wants?"

"But he didn't have to ask me. He just knew."

"Yeah but he's different. He listens and he's thoughtful."

"What am I? An asshole?"

"You said it, not me."

On the opposite side of town, Edd was readying the house for his parent's to come home. His birthday was only a few days before Christmas. So his parents were going to arrive that day and leave the day after Christmas. Edd was excited about his parents coming home. He was usually not this excited to have them home, but it had been so long since he had seen them. At the moment, he was cleaning like his life depended on it. His parents could be overly critical and they expected Edd to keep the house in pristine shape. The house was not messy by an means, but he knew that if it wasn't perfect, his parents would say something. To be honest, Edd liked cleaning. It gave him a chance to zone out. He put his headphones in and let the rest of the world fall away as he worked.

It was almost one whenever Edd deemed the house spotless. He went up to his stairs and grabbed a shower. He dried off quickly and threw on some comfortable clothes. He put on his new glasses and looked in the mirror. He hated the glasses, although Kevin loved them. Kevin said they made him look like a sexy librarian. As much as Edd thought they made him look like a total nerd, he had to admit that the lack of headaches and the ability to actually see everything in focus for the past week had actually been quite nice.

Edd was supposed to be at the airport to pick up his parents at three, so he still had a while. Edd decided to get on his laptop. He opened his internet browser and went to FriendBook. He scrolled through his news feed. He rarely got on the website. The poor grammar and insights into people's mundane day to day activities didn't really interest him very much. But that was how he kept up with Ed and Eddy.

He saw them at in the halls at school and Ed would often stop to say hi to him, but Eddy would keep walking. Edd had taken to eating lunch in his chemistry teacher's clasroom. Edd had been spending his lunch working on a project for Mrs. Greene's class in the classroom, and soon she just let him stay in there every day. Which worked out very well since he didn't have anybody to sit with at lunch. And if he was by himself, the jocks tended to give him a hard time.

After checking FriendBook and his email, Edd shopped around for some new books. After he had successfully wasted some time, he went downstairs to get the car to go retrieve his parents. He was actually a little nervous about picking them up. Traffic was light, so it didn't take very long for Edd to make it to the Peach City Airport. He saw his parents waiting out front.

His mother was a pretty woman. She had sharp features but her eyes were a bright piercing blue. Most people said that Edd looked like his mother, but it was mostly because they had the same eyes and hair color. He did not have her sharp nose or her angular jawline. She had long black hair that she kept pulled back into a perfect bun. She was younger that his father. She was only forty-four while his father had turned fifty-five that year. His father was a tall man, but was very slender in frame. Both the hair on his head and the goatee on his face were a dark gray. They were dressed in clean pressed professional clothing.

Edd pulled the car up in front of them and they put the two suitcases they had with them in the trunk. His father got in the front seat and his mother sat in the back. Conversation was lighthearted on their way back to the cul-de-sac. His mother complimented his glasses. They asked Eddward about school and he asked them about work.

His mother said when they weren't far from home, "I am sorry that we have not contacted you as much as of late. We are on the cusp of some great findings."

"I know your research is important. It's okay." said Edd.

"We have not spoken in the last few weeks. Did you spend Thanksgiving with your two hoodlum friends?"

"If you are referring to Ed and Eddy, no I did not."

"Did you spend Thanksgiving alone?" she said with a little regret in her voice.

"No. I spent it with my friend Kevin and his father." said Edd honestly. He had no reason to lie to them.

"Joseph Barr and his son? From across the street?" asked his father.

"Yes, sir."

"I did not know you two were friends. I thought that boy picked on you." said his mother.

"He did when were children, but we became friends this year."

"I do not care for those people. His father is a bit of a hot head. He completely overreacted when I told him his grass was too high. And then he defended that son of his when he threw that baseball through our window." said his father disapprovingly.

"He has always been kind to me."

"That's all that matters. Isn't it, Sheldon?" said his mother to his father.

"How are your grades, Eddward?" asked his father trying to change the subject.

"All A's."

"Wonderful." smiled his mother. "I'm glad you haven't let those two boys or your new friend interfere with your studies."

When Edd pulled into the garage, he saw Nazz and Kevin from across the street. They too had just arrived back to the cul-de-sac from wherever they had been. They started to come across the street before Edd's parents had gotten out of the car. When Kevin saw them he seemed a bit reluctant to keep going, but followed Nazz who just kept bouncing towards them. Kevin had forgotten that his parents were coming today.

"Hey, Edd!" said Nazz. Edd's parents turned towards her and gave her an unfamiliar look. "Oh, you must be Edd's parents! I'm Nazz."

Edd's mother raised an eyebrow towards Edd.

"Oh, mother, father, this is Nazz. She's another new friend of mine. And you know Kevin."

Nazz smiled and Kevin gave a small wave.

"Nice to meet you." said Edd's mother.

"We just came by to say hi, but we will go so you can get inside. Edd, if you can drop by sometime tonight we have your birthday presents!" said Nazz.

"Oh my, you didn't have to get me anything." said Edd.

"Well you got something anyway. Like I said if you can just drop by, but if you all have plans, we can give them to you later. No worries. It was nice to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Vincent." said Nazz and waved goodbye. Kevin followed behind.

Once inside Edd's mother turned towards him, "So this Nazz. Is that your girlfriend?"

"No, mother. She is just a friend."

"Are you sure?" she asked with a prying look.

"Yes. Just friends."

"Well that's good. You you are not allowed to date until you are out of high school. It could interfere with your studies." said his father.

"I know." said Edd trying to mask the exasperation in his voice.

The rest of the night went by quietly. They had dinner and talked about Edd going off to college. Edd had planned on coming out to them while they were visiting. But lost his courage and decided to wait. He had wanted to tell them to just get it off of his chest. He wanted to think that his parents would be accepting like Kevin's father was, but he was afraid that maybe they would react badly. They weren't particularly religious people and they had never said anything to make Edd think that they might be homophobic. But there was something about actually saying the words that made Edd almost break out into a sweat.

"I think your father and I are going to retire for the night." said Edd's mother around nine that night. "It isn't very late, but we are tired from the trip."

"I understand. Good night." said Edd. He took out his phone to text Kevin.

"Are you going to go see your friends?" asked Edd's father.

"I was going to." said Edd.

"Watch yourself. You are almost graduated. No reason to fall in with the wrong crowd now."

"Come Sheldon. Let's retire." motioned his mother. She gave Edd a smile before the two ascended the stairs.

Double D: My parents are going to bed if you and Nazz wish to meet.

Kevin: Nazz ended up going to Daniel's. He said that he wanted to talk some things out.

Double D: Is that a good thing?

Kevin: She seemed excited. Can u come over for a bit?

Double D: I'll be there in a moment.

Edd slipped on his jacket and walked across the street. Edd kept a careful eye out to see if anybody was out and about but everyone seemed to be securely in their homes away from the cold. Kevin was at the door watching Edd come up the sidewalk.

"Hey." smiled Kevin.

"Hey."

They walked to Kevin's bedroom, passing his dad on the way who had passed out on the couch after watching the game.

"Okay, so I got you two gifts. One for your birthday and I wanted to go ahead and give you your Christmas present" said Kevin. "I'm really bad at this, so I put a lot of thought into it. So if it sucks and you don't like it, then we can take it back. No problem and no hurt feelings."

"I'm sure I'll like it. You really didn't have to get me anything though." said Edd sincerely. He couldn't care less about material things.

"Yeah I did. I really wanted to anyway. Okay, so here is the first one." said Kevin and pulled out a large box. It was wrapped in shiny blue paper with a white bow on top. "By the way, Nazz wrapped everything. That's why it looks so nice."

"She did a good job." grinned Edd. He unwrapped the present carefully, which was driving Kevin crazy. Kevin was a "rip the paper off" kind of guy, Edd took his time.

"What do you think?"

Edd pulled out a record player. It was a more modern looking one than what Edd would have thought a record player would look like. Edd also pulled out a vinyl copy of his favorite singer's first album.

"The guy at the music store said that everything sounds better on vinyl. And I know you like her. So... do you like it?"

"I love it! I would have never thought of anything like this. I am excited to go home and set it up. Thank you." said Edd and pulled Kevin into an embrace.

"Okay so the second gift is more...well more of an idea. But open this."

Edd took a small bag that was filled with tissue paper. When he reached into the bag, he pulled out a pack of cigarettes.

"Cigarettes?" asked Edd confused.

"Yeah, open it."

"It's empty."

"Yup. I had my last cigarette today. I know they bother you, so I'm going to quit smoking. I tried to think of something perfect to get you and I was having a hard time. So... yeah."

"Kevin..." said Edd with a small smile on his face. "Both gifts are perfect."

"I love you and I wanted you to know that."

"I do know that." Edd said as butterflied flew circles in his stomach.

"Oh! I have one more gift for you."

"Another gift?"

"Kinda sorta." said Kevin with a devilish grin. He pulled Edd towards him by the neck of his shirt and took off his glasses. He put them on his nightstand before he pushed Edd down on the bed.

"I think I'm going to like this gift too." said Edd as he caught on to what was going on.

"Oh I think you will."

After the two had their fun, Edd got dressed and went back across the street. It was a little past eleven when Edd had decided that he should go ahead and get home. Kevin had wanted him to stay the night, but Edd had insisted that he should go. Edd made the short walk home and opened the door. His mother was on the couch reading something on her laptop. She was in a robe and her hair cascaded down her back.

"Oh, Eddward. I didn't know you would be home so soon. What do you have there?"

"It's my gift from Kevin. It's a record player." Edd said as he sat down on the other end of the couch showing his mother his new gift. "What are you doing up?"

"I could not sleep. I am so exhausted, but can't bring myself to sleep. I have so much on my mind." she said as she rubbed her eyes. "Of course, your father is asleep. I envy the way he can sleep any time anywhere."

Edd smiled, "I could stay up with you."

"I would like that." she said.

Edd put his gift on the floor next to the couch and pulled off his jacket and shoes. He peered at the computer screen to see what his mother was reading. After a brief conversation about the effects of violence-saturated media on a developing mind his mom brought Nazz up again.

"Now this Nazz. She really isn't your girlfriend?"

"No, mother. I promise."

"Well why not?"

Edd was slightly shocked, "I thought I wasn't allowed to date." 

"Oh come now, Eddward. That is your father's rule."

"I've never been one to break the rules."

"I know. But she is a very pretty girl."

Edd saw the opportunity. This was the perfect moment. All he had to do was say it. Just say it.

"She is a very pretty girl...but...I..." said Edd and he just couldn't say it. The words stuck in his throat like they were rocks.

"Eddward? But what?"

"I don't like girls." he said finally getting the words out. He met her eyes for a second before looking down at his cupped hands in his lap. There was silence. It felt like an eternity.

She put her laptop on the coffee table and let out a sigh. "Are you sure?"

"Y-yes." he said. Fear tensing up his body.

"Have you...dated?"

"I...y-y-yes..."

"Eddward, look at me." he said. He felt like his heart was going to burst and he was going to die right there. Okay, he knew logically that was not going to happen. But it sure as hell felt like it. He raised his gaze to meet hers. He was expecting anger. Disappointment. Disapproval. Instead she was smiling at him, "It's okay."

With those two words he felt like a weight had been lifted. Yes he was still shaking slightly but he wasn't as anxious.

"It is?"

"Yes, son. It's okay. You're shaking. Were you really that frightened to tell me?" she said and put her hand on top of his. He flinched at her unfamiliar touch.

"I just...didn't want you to be disappointed in me...or hate me."

"Eddward, I know we have not been around a lot. And I know we aren't the most, well, affectionate people, but we do love you."

Eddward felt tears in his eyes. He tried to suppress them but there was no stopping them. "I am sorry I'm so emotional."

His mother, who did not do well with emotion, simply patted his hands, "It's okay. Now tell me. Who is it that you are dating? Or are you still dating? Did you break up? How many boyfriends have you had?"

"I..." Edd pulled a hand away and wiped his eye, "I've only had the one. We are still dating... And... It's Kevin Barr."

"Really?" she asked with amazement, "I am surprised by that. Do his parents know?"

"Yes, ma'am. His father has been very kind and very accepting. He invited me to spend Thanksgiving with them. And I have had dinner with them a few times. And his mother knows...but she was less than kind about the whole ordeal."

"I see. She always rubbed me the wrong way anyway. So Eddward..." she said with a serious look, "Are you happy? Does this boy treat you well?"

"Very well. I didn't know I could be treated so well. I am very happy, mother." he said honestly.

"Then that is all that matters. Well, I think I am going to go try to sleep again. You probably ought to go to bed soon too."

"Yes, mother."

"Oh before I do. What do you think about having Kevin and his father over for dinner? Ask them what night is good for them. I think we should all get reacquainted. Goodnight."

"Goodnight. Mother?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you."

 **Hello, loves! Sorry I have been gone for so long... I have had a lot of things going on and needed a bit of break. But I am back! I hope you enjoyed and I hope to be updating more often! :)**

 **~Lovely Dork~**


	12. Chapter 12

Kevin was playing video games. He had tried to sleep after Edd had gone home but to no avail. He jumped slightly when he heard his phone ring. "DD" popped up on the phone's screen.

"Hey what's up?' asked Kevin.

"I told my mother...about me...about us." said Edd. His tone was hard to read.

"Oh my god, really? What happened? Are you okay?" asked Kevin putting down his controller.

"Oh yes! Kevin she was supportive. I was so surprised. She asked me how many boyfriends I have had. And told me that it was okay...and...and."

"Are you crying?"

"Maybe. I don't know why! It is a good thing."

"I don't know, babe. Maybe you have just been holding it all in for too long."

"Perhaps. I am still worried about father though..."

"You think he will freak out or something?"

"Father doesn't really "freak out"...But I don't know what to expect."

"I'm proud of you, Dee." said Kevin. He was a little jealous that Edd's mother had reacted so well, when his own mother had pretty much disowned him. At the same time, he was happy for his boyfriend. He knew Edd had been dreading coming out to his parents for a long time. Kevin had wanted Edd to wait until closer to graduation. The more people that knew about him and Edd, the more a ball of dread grew in his chest. Of course his parents did pretty much live in Big Apple, but still.

"Thank you. Anyway, there was another reason I called. Mother invited you and your father over for dinner. I know it's short notice, but she said that it would be nice for us all to get reacquainted."

"Ugh, I gotta be honest Dee. That sounds terrible. Your parents make me nervous." said Kevin bluntly.

"I know they are a little uptight but-..."

"It's not that. They are just super smart people. And I'm not. I'm going to say something stupid and they are going to hate me and tell you that I'm not good enough for you. Which is the truth, but I don't want them to know that."

"Kevin, that's preposterous. You are very intelligent. And if anything I'm not good enough for you..."

"What makes you say that? I think you are pretty damn close to perfect."

"Psh."

"Don't "psh" me, Eddward."

"Oh, Lord. You know I hate that."

"Yeah well...That's what you get. Let's agree that we are both worthy of each other, deal?"

"Deal."

"Now as far as dinner goes. What night were you thinking?"

"Oh I don't know. I know we are supposed to go to dinner in Peach City tomorrow night. What about the next night?"

"Sound good, I guess."

"It will be fine."

"If you say so, dork."

"I'll take dork over Eddward..." laughed Edd.

"Goodnight, dork. I love you."

"I love you too. Goodnight."

Eddward tossed and turned in bed for the rest of the night unable to sleep very well. He kept running various scenarios in his head over how his father was going to react. Sheldon Vincent was a man who liked things to be a certain way and for things to always go according to plan. Edd doubted his homosexuality was in the plans that his father had made out for him. When the sun peeked through Edd's curtains, he decided to give up on sleep. He went in his bathroom to take a quick shower to try to wake himself up a little.

In the room across the hall, his parents were also preparing for the day. His mother could not keep the secret to herself and was also curious how her husband would react to the news. Beatrice was a tense woman, who always anxious about everything.

"So what are the plans today, Beatrice?" asked Sheldon snapping his wife out of her train of thought.

"Oh. Um...I'm not sure. I suppose whatever Eddward wants to do. It is his birthday after all."

"I know. I just like to have some sort of idea of what we are doing today." said Sheldon slightly frustrated.

"Sheldon. Dear...I think we need to talk before we go downstairs and plan the day with Eddward." said Beatrice cautiously.

Sheldon raised an eyebrow, "Talk? About what?"

"Well, I could not sleep last night. So I went downstairs to read for a while. Eddward came home and we got to talking...And Eddward opened up to me..."

"About what? Were you right? Is he dating that Nazz girl?"

"No...but he is dating."

"That boy...I swear. I told him time and time again that he doesn't need to start dating until he is out of high school. There will be plenty of time for that later. Should we ground him?" asked his father seriously.

"No! Why would we ground him?"

"He disobeyed us." he said then blew out an exasperated sigh as he put one leg into his pants. "So what is this girl's name?"

"Kevin."

Sheldon almost fell in the floor. "What? What do you mean "Kevin"?"

"Eddward...told me he was a homosexual last night. And that he is seeing that Kevin Barr boy." said Beatrice still trying to read Sheldon's expression.

For the first time in a long time, Sheldon was at a loss for words. After several beats of silence Beatrice asked, "Sheldon? Dear, are you okay?"

"He can't be gay. He was supposed to go to college. Meet a nice girl. Preferably where they could be a team, like we are. He was supposed to have a child or two."

"Eddward is still going to go to college. And he could still give us a grandchild. There are options." Sheldon sat on the bed and Beatrice sat next to him. "Sheldon, he was petrified last night. I have never seen him so frightened."

"Frightened?"

"Yes. He said he was afraid that we were going to hate him."

"Hate him? He really thought we could hate him?"

"From what Eddward told me, Kevin's mother was less than pleasant about the whole situation. I don't know the details, but I'm assuming that Eddward was afraid that we would react similarly."

"I'll be honest, Beatrice. I'm not happy about it, but I could never hate him. He is still our son."

"Exactly. So when we go downstairs, let him know that it is okay. I think that is the best birthday present that you could give him today."

Edd dressed himself in a nice sweater and a clean pair of dark jeans. He didn't know exactly what he was going to do be doing that day, so he decided that this would be a safe choice. After he was groomed and ready to go downstairs, the smell of breakfast began to waft upstairs. He liked it when mother was home to cook. She was a better cook than he was, although he was not bad. He walked into the kitchen to find his mother in front of the stove cooking egg white omlettes and turkey bacon and his father sitting at the table drinking coffee.

"Good morning, Eddward. Happy birthday." said his mother as she smiled at him.

"Good morning. Thank you." he smiled back at her.

Edd sat across from his father and poured himself a cup of coffee. He liked the stuff but never brewed it when they weren't home. It was a waste to make a whole pot whenever he only wanted a cup or two. His father was being uncharacteristically quiet. He kept his gaze on his newspaper. Edd figured that his mother had told him about their conversation last night. He could not tell if his father was angry or if he was simply just trying to figure out something to say.

"So, what do you want to do today?" asked his father in his gruff voice. The sudden break in silence made Edd jump a little.

"Oh. I-i...didn't really have anything planned." said Edd as his mother put a plate of the healthy breakfast in front of him.

"Well we had discussed going out to dinner tonight. I still think that is a fine idea. Is there anything in the city you would want to do?" asked Beatrice.

"Well there is a fascinating new exhibit at the Natural History Museum. I wouldn't mind going there."

"That sounds like a wonderful idea." said Beatrice.

When a plate was placed in front of Sheldon, he put his paper to the side. He looked at his son. He was still the same boy he remembered from the day before. Sheldon knew it sounded silly to think that Eddward would look any different to him, but this was all very new and unexpected. He was fiercely proud of his academic achievements and the man he was turning into. Sheldon sighed and decided that it was time to address the elephant in the room.

"So, your mother tells me your a homosexual." said Sheldon bluntly. He didn't know how else to bring it up. But judging by the way that Edd looked like a deer in the headlight, he knew he probably should have had a little bit more tact. Being tactful was not one of Sheldon Vincent's strong suits.

"Y-y-yes, sir." Edd said nervously. Sheldon saw what his wife had meant. His son looked positively petrified. Sheldon had a couple of colleagues at the university who were homosexual. A woman who had been with her partner for several years in the physics department and a man who was a brilliant botanist. He liked them just as well as he liked his other colleagues. Which was to say, he liked them as long as they didn't get in his way or infringe on his work space. It didn't bother him in the least how they spent their personal time. It was different though when it was his child. He knew how these Peach Creek types could be. Honestly, if Beatrice hadn't insisted on bringing Eddward up where she had grown up then he would never have even been in this backwards town. It didn't bother him that Eddward was gay. It scared him. He wanted a different life for him, but he knew that it wasn't his choice. And he honestly believed that it wasn't a choice for his son either.

Sheldon realized that it had been several minutes since he had said anything when his wife had nudged his arm. "I apologize. I was lost in thought. Are you sure, son? Are you sure that you are gay?"

"Yes." Edd said shyly.

"Eddward, you know that I could never hate you. Or rather you should know that. You are a smart kid. Man." he corrected himself. "No this is not the life I had envisioned for you, but then things don't always go according to plan. So if this is who you are, then I accept that."

Edd felt tears burn his eyes for the third time in the last twelve hours. He was so tired of crying. He managed to blink them away. "Thank you." he said simply.

"Well, let's eat this breakfast before it gets cold then we will head into the city. We can go to that exhibit then have lunch. Then your mother and I have a birthday surprise for you."

"That sounds great." smiled Edd and started in on his breakfast.

"Have you talked to Kevin? Did you ask him about dinner? I know it is short notice since we are only in town until the 26th." said Beatrice.

"Dinner?" asked Sheldon.

"Oh I forgot to mention that to you. I told Eddward to invite Kevin and his father over for dinner so we could all get to know each other." said Beatrice. His father nodded at her then turned his attention back to his breakfast.

"Yes. I spoke to him last night. He said that tomorrow night would be work for them."

"Perfect." she said with a grin.

They ate in silence for a while before his father said "So, are you and this boy practicing safe sex?" out of the blue.

Eddward choked on his omlette.


	13. Chapter 13

"Ugh, I'm so nervous." said Kevin as he got ready to go over to Edd's house for dinner. Nazz was sitting cross legged on the end of his bed on her phone.

"It will be okay. Dinner with the parents is always awkward." she said.

"How would you know?"

"Hey, I watch TV. I know how these things go."

"Don't those usually end in disaster?" he asked nervously.

"Eh. About 9 out of 10 times they do." she said then quickly added, "But I'm sure this one will be fine."

"Gee, I feel so much better."

"I still need to give Edd his birthday present." she said trying to change the subject to take his mind off of the dinner situation, "I think I might invite him to my mom's Christmas Eve party."

"He's probably not going to be able to go. His parents are only in town until the day after Christmas. Then they are flying back out to Big Apple. So he's probably going to want to spend time with them."

"Eh, good point." she said and started responding to a text.

"Who are you texting?" he asked.

"Daniel."

"So you guys are back together? You never told me what happened."

"Yeah...we are." she said. She said in a strange way. Like she was hiding something.

"So...Is he okay with you hanging out with me and Dee?"

"Yeah."

"You are acting weird."

"So I've been wanting to talk to you, but I've been nervous to tell you..."

"Tell me what?"

"Well, Daniel and I talked for a long time. And I really like him...I think I may even love him. But..."

"But what?"

"He still wasn't comfortable with me hanging out with two dudes. Especially you. The jocks thinks that we have screwed and that you have screwed a couple of the other cheerleaders."

"Why would they think that? We've never even dated. And I kissed Lisa one time when I was drunk at a party."

"I thought that girls gossip. Psh that's nothing compared to what those jocks do. I mean people talk. I once again told him that he didn't have anything to worry about. He asked me how could he know that for sure...and I kinda let it slip...about you...and Double D..."

Kevin's face went red, "What the fuck, Nazz?"

"I know I'm sorry! But he promised he wouldn't tell anybody!"

"How could you fucking do that?! That wasn't your secret to tell! Get out! Get the fuck out!" said Kevin, letting his temper get the best of him. Nazz tried to find something to say, but couldn't. She ran out of the room with tears running down her face.

He heard the door shut downstairs. He looked outside and watched Nazz run to her house. He felt a mix of absolute fury and shame. He was ashamed of himself yelling at his best friend, but she deserved it. Didn't she?

"Hey kid. What the hell is going on? Nazz just ran out of here crying." asked his dad as he opened his son's bedroom door.

"We had a fight." he said plainly, trying to calm himself down.

"About what? And you know better than to yell at a girl like that. I could here you yelling from downstairs." scolded his father.

"She told her boyfriend about me and Edd!" he said trying to defend himself. He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, "I know...that's not a good excuse. I shouldn't have yelled at her. I'm just so freaking mad."

"Well, you're right. That is no reason to shout at her. Why did she tell her boyfriend?"

"Her stupid boyfriend Daniel didn't like her hanging around me and Edd all the time."

"Well not to pick sides, but can you blame him?"

Kevin shot his dad a confused look.

"Okay, let me put it like this. What if, hypothetically, Edd made him a gay friend. And he was a looker. And the two of them hung out all the time without you."

"I trust him." answered Kevin quickly, but looked a little hesitant.

"Uh huh. And those two spent every Saturday night together while your at home. Now, I do agree that Nazz should have discussed it with you and Edd before she said something to her boyfriend. But can you kind of see why she did what she did?"

"Yeah...crap...I need to call her don't I?"

"Yes you do. But give it a little time. Let's go get this stupid dinner out of the way and you can call her when you get home." said his dad, who was about as thrilled with the dinner as Kevin was. Joe was fond of Eddward, he thought he was a good kid. But he never liked his parents. He went to school with Bea, and she was always a little stuck up. And Edd's father was more than a little hard to deal with.

Across the street, Edd was helping his mother in the kitchen. She was making a pasta dish with lots of veggies and Edd was cutting up lettuce for the salad. He had a very good day the day before and was certain everything was going to well tonight. The awkwardness finally went away between him and his father about halfway through the Ocean Life exhibit. His birthday/Christmas surprise was that his parents took him to a car lot and let him pick out his very own car. He picked out a small black car that he liked the look of, and that his parents thought was a safe choice.

Edd heard a knock on the door when he had finished putting the salad together.

"I got it!" said Edd and rushed to the door. Edd greeted the two and let them in. Kevin had on a blue button up shirt that was tucked in to a pair of khakis. His short orange hair was combed and slicked back with a little hair gel. Edd was not used to seeing Kevin in something other than a tshirt and jeans or basketball shorts. Edd thought he looked incredibly handsome.

"Hey there, kid. How's it going?" asked Joe as he followed Kevin into the house.

"I am doing well. How are you?" said Edd.

Before Joe could answer, Sheldon appeared from his office. "Hello, Joseph. Kevin." he said simply. He approached Joe and shook his hand.

"Hello there. Just call me Joe." said Kevin's dad trying to appear cool and collected. The last time the two had actually talked was when Kevin had been playing baseball with the other kid's in the cul de sac and the ball came sailing through Sheldon's office window. It had been about six years since Joe had offered to pay for the window and Sheldon had told Joe to keep to his "hooligan child in line". That had been quite an argument.

They all made small talk about weather and Christmas plans while Beatrice finished preparing the food. It was awkward to say the least but they were making it okay. Joe had made the mistake of asking Beatrice and Sheldon about their research on String Theory. The two went on for about twenty minutes. Kevin and Joe nodded although they really had no clue what they were talking about.

"It really is quite interesting. We were hoping that Eddward would follow in our footsteps, but he seems to be more attracted to different fields of study." said Beatrice.

"Oh yeah? What are you wanting to study, Edd?" asked Joe.

"I've been thinking about a lot of different things. I've been really thinking about psychology though."

"He had thought about becoming a doctor." said Beatrice proudly, "Which he could do no problem."

"Yes, but to be honest the human body can be a little nauseating."

Sheldon just kept his mouth shut. He found psychology to be more of a "soft science", but Beatrice had told him time and time again that it was not his decision. That didn't stop him from telling Eddward his feelings about it, but tonight he was trying to be on his best behavior.

"So what will you be studying, Kevin?" asked Sheldon.

"I'm not sure. I applied to State, but...I dunno." said Kevin. He really had no idea. All he wanted to do was work on cars, but he didn't want to tell Edd's parents that.

"Well you need a plan. What are you interested in?" asked Sheldon.

"I thought about becoming a teacher so I could coach. But that's about it."

"Hmm." said Sheldon and took another bite.

"I think that's a great idea." said Joe. He was trying to be polite and not tell Sheldon that he could shove his judgment where the sun don't shine.

The two left after dessert, and Edd and his mother started cleaning up. His father remained seated at the table in the kitchen.

"I think that went well." said Beatrice.

"I think you can do better." said Sheldon simply.

"Sheldon, that's not very nice." scolded Beatrice.

"Well, I'm sorry. But Eddward deserves someone who has more aspiration that to rot away coaching hoodlums in the public school system. What do you two even talk about?"

"Kevin is actually very bright. We have a lot to talk about." Edd said defensively. "And he doesn't even know if that's what he want to do. He has even talked about maybe owning his own business."

"Doing what?" said Sheldon. Edd wished he wouldn't of even said anything.

"W-working on cars. He is very good at that."

"So you are wanting to date a mechanic? Come on Eddward."

"There is nothing wrong with that."

"Have you thought about just waiting until you get to college? There are people there studying to be doctors, physicists, scientists. People who are actually going to do something with their lives."

"I'm going to my room." said Edd, not wanting to be part of this conversation anymore.

"I didn't say you can go." said Sheldon as Edd started to walk away. Edd just kept walking. For the first time in his life, he actually ignored his father and kept walking.

"I'm going to go give that boy a piece of my mind." said Sheldon and stood up from the table.

"Sheldon stop it! Kevin was a perfect gentleman all night. And so was his father. That boy is good to our son. Now just leave it be."

Sheldon sat back down growing more and more frustrated. "I will leave it alone for now. But that boy is a bad influence. It's not like Eddward to act out like he just did."

"I think it would be best just to let it go, dear. I think he is just aggravated. Give him a little while."

Joe decided he was going to go out for drinks with a couple of his buddies from the factory. He told Kevin that he sure could use a drink after all that. Kevin took the opportunity to call Nazz. The phone rang a couple of times before she picked up.

"Hello?" she said quietly.

"Hey...listen Nazz. I'm sorry I yelled at you. I was just caught off guard. As much as I wish that you wouldn't have told Daniel, I understand why you did it."

"It's okay. I'm sorry I told him. I was just caught up in the moment. I'm a shitty friend."

"Well I'm a shitty friend for yelling at you.. So are we even?"

"Even." she said, "So we are good?"

"We are good."


	14. Chapter 14

"Ouch!" Edd shouted out.

"Oh get over it, princess." said Nazz as she ran a comb through Edd's messy hair.

"How did I let you talk me into this?" lamented Edd.

"Because your parents went back to Big Apple, my mom is gone for the weekend to visit my aunt, and Kevin went with his dad to visit family in Missouri. We are bored."

"How did boredom end up with me allowing you to cut my hair?"

"Because I can be incredibly convincing. And my cousin has been teaching me a trick or two. I think I will be good at this."

"You think? Well that inspires confidence." said Edd as he nervously wrung his hands under the towel Nazz had draped across his front.

"Come on, Double D. You said it yourself, the same old woman has been cutting your hair since you were in diapers. You need a new look."

"What's wrong with my current look?"

"Just calm down and stay still or I'm going to give you a Mohawk."

Edd and Nazz were doing their usual Saturday hang out, but were starting early due to Nazz's increasing boredom. School was starting back on Monday and they were already two days into the new year. Kevin, Edd and Nazz celebrated at Kevin's with a movie marathon and liquor. Well Nazz and Kevin did. Edd stuck with water.

"So you never finished telling me how Christmas went." said Nazz as she snipped away at Edd's hair.

"Oh yes, it was alright I suppose. Father and I only said fity-seven words to each other after he told me Kevin wasn't good enough for me."

"That's shit. And specific."

"I counted."

"Hmm...I shouldn't be surprised. So you still haven't told Kevin about that?"

"No...I feel like it would just hurt his feelings. He was so worried that they were going to hate him. I thought the dinner went so well up until then."

"I'm sorry, Dee. Parents are weird. I mean maybe he will come around. Are you and Kevin still moving in together after graduation? I mean Mr. Vincent is going to get over it eventually."

"I don't know. He's not really the "getting over it" type. He's more of that expression, "my way or the highway". And...well...We have talked about moving in...but I just don't know anymore."

"You don't know?"

"Nazz. Can I talk to you? And it stay between us?"

"Of course."

Edd sighed deeply, "Kevin is going to get into State. He just is. I would be very surprised if he doesn't get in on a full sports scholarship. He did decent on the SATs. And I am really hoping to hear from Ivy University sometime in the next few months. Those two schools are seven hours from one another."

"And you two wouldn't be able to live together...But he has talked about not going to school."

"But then I would be the reason why he didn't go to school!"

"Edd, he's never really been big on school." said Nazz as she snipped off a rather large chunk of hair. Edd thanked the heavens that he usually wore his hat anyways. Hair grows, right?

"I guess. It's just a lot to think about."

"You mean over think about. And so you guys would be apart for four years. I mean that's what weekends, social media, and online chat were created for." said Nazz then she reached for her hair straightener on the bathroom counter.

"That hot instrument is making me incredibly nervous." said Edd.

"I have been straightening my hair for years. I am an expert."

"Ouch!" yelled Edd as the straightener touched his ear.

"That's what you get when you don't stay still."

"I was perfectly stationery, Nazz Fitzgerald!"

"If you were then your ear wouldn't be singed! Now hold still."

After several minutes of flat ironing. Nazz pulled the towel away and let hair fall to the floor. She smiled broadly as she admired her handy work. It eased Edd's nervousness about his hair a little bit.

"Okay, Double D. I'm done. Now look. If you don't like it then maybe we can take you up to Lemonbrook and my cousin can fix it."

Edd stood up and looked in the bathroom mirror. His hair that used to reach down to his shoulders was now just an inch below his ear. It was still shaggy but she had given him bangs that pulled to the side. They covered his birth mark completely.

"Oh my." he said.

"Is that a good "oh my"? Like "oh my god, I am never going to have anyone else touch my hair again except Nazz because she made me look like a cute slightly emo male model"? Or "oh my I can't believe I let this crazy blonde touch my hair"."

"Nazz...it's perfect. You can't even see...you know... _it._ "

Nazz smiled and pulled a bobby pin out of a small purple container. She pinned his bangs to the side.  
"Now keep them pinned at night. It will train your hair to naturally fall like that."

"You are practically a professional." he smiled.

"You are too kind. Now let's take some pics and send them to your man."

After several selfies, Nazz and Edd moved out into Nazz's living room. They spent the afternoon watching television and eating pizza. About the time the sun went down, Nazz went up to her room and got into her personal stash of liquor.

"Come on, Edd. Pleeeeeeease."

"I don't feel comfortable."

"It's one drink."

"Underage drinking could lead to a lifetime of-..."

"Watch what you say there, Dee. Me and your boyfriend are pretty active drinkers."

"Then I will just stick with saying that I am uneasy." said Edd and shifted uncomfortably.

Nazz broke out into a wide, rather mischievous, grin and ran into the kitchen. She ran back with a glass filled with a blue drink.

"Drink this." she said and handed him the glass.

"No!"

"Please. For me. It would make me happy."

"Ensuring your happiness is Daniel's job, not mine." said Edd and smelled the drink. "What is this?"

"Don't worry what it's called. Drink it! Drink it! Drink it!" she repeated over and over. Edd looked at the beverage. Every bit of him thought this was a bad idea, but to be honest he had enjoyed getting out of his comfort zone. He took a drink. The taste was not all that bad although it burnt his throat.

"There I took a drink. Can I put this down now?" he said and sat the glass down.

"It's not that strong. I mixed it weak. Barely any liquor it. And if you don't drink it, it is just going to go to waste."

"It doesn't taste weak. It burns."

"All liqour does that."

Nazz talked Double D into a quite a few more drinks. The taste was becoming increasingly more pleasant. It was taking less and less encouragement from Nazz to get him to take the next drink. And without warning, for the first time, Double D found himself inebriated. The room was spinning slightly and his body wasn't responding the way he wanted it to. He realized that when he tried to stand up and fell right back onto the couch.

"Nazz." Edd said, "I think I may be intox..intoxi...drunk. I think I may be drunk."

"Yeah I think you are." laughed Nazz, who could hold her liquor a lot better than Edd.

"I thought you said the drinks weren't ssstrong." he slurred.

"I may have lied. I just wanted to see you drunk." she laughed.

"That's mean...you're so mean...I'm going to tell Kevin on you."

"Oh I'm so scared!" Nazz said sarcastically.

"Well you should be!" said Edd dramatically and reached for his phone.

"Now, Edd. Think about it. Are you really going to make a drunk call? Are you going to be that guy?" Nazz said half jokingly.

"But I have to tell on you!" said Edd and found Kevin's name in his phone.

"Hello?" Edd heard Kevin's voice on the other side.

"Kevin! Nazzzzz is mean!" he said drunkenly.

"Edd?"

"Yeah and she told me not to call you! But I was going to call you if I wanted to!"

"Babe...Are you drunk?" said Kevin suppressing a laugh.

"I got peer pressured! It was just like all the after school specials said... And she said they weren't strong but she lied. She lied, Kevin!"

"She does that... Are you at least having fun?"

"I'm adorable." Edd said randomly.

"What?"

"Nazz cut my hair. And she said I was adorable."

"Well you are always adorable, but yes I got the pics. You look good, Edd."

"I'm having fun. Even if Nazz is mean. Kevin...I think I'm going to curse at her."

"Why would you curse at her?"

"You never listen! Because she's mean..."

"And she's mean because she got you drunk?"

"I think but I can't remember...I love you."

"I love you too."

"You're my favorite..."

"Your favorite what?"

"Anything." scoffed Edd as though it should have been obvious.

"You're my favorite, too. Now let me talk to Nazz."

"But I want to talk to you...I miss you..."

"I miss you too, babe. But-..."

"Fuck." said Edd.

"What?"

"I said I was going to curse and I did."

"I'm so proud..." Kevin said and laughed, "I thought you wanted me to get onto Nazz?"

"Oh yeah! Here she is." said Edd and curled up on Nazz's couch.

"Hello, Kevin!" she said brightly.

"Why did you get Dee drunk?"

"Because it was hilarious. And he needs to loosen up. He's too worried all the time."

"It is funny." he agreed, "But please keep an eye on him."

"What's the worst that could happen? He drinks and maths or something?"

"Dude, please?"

"Alright, alright. Here tell your boyfriend goodnight." Nazz said and handed the phone back to Edd.

"Hellooo..." Edd said in a sing song voice.

"Hey there, drunkie."

"Did you get onto Nazz?"

"I sure did. I set her straight. Now you go to bed soon okay?"

"Okay..."

"I love you, Edd."

"Love you too..."

Edd pulled the phone away and let it fall to the table. He looked really sad all of a sudden.

"Edd, are you okay?" asked Nazz. Edd pulled himself up, less than gracefully, and pulled a throw pillow to his chest. He shook his head yes. "Then why do you look sad?"

"I miss Kevin."

"I know you do. But we are having fun, right?"

"Yeah. I'm having fun...but I miss Kevin... You want to hear something sad?"

"Uh, sure?"

"I miss Ed and Eddy too." he said and tears welled up his poor drunk eyes.

"Oh, Double D. I'm sorry." she said and pulled him into hug. "I'm sorry, dude. I didn't know you were going to be a sad drunk. Hey it's okay..."

"I messed up. I messed up a lot of things. And things are going to keep being messed up. You're my only friend. And you're great..."

"But you miss Ed and Eddy."

"Yeah."

"You know Kevin is your friend too."

"He's my boyfriend... it doesn't count."

"Does too. And I'm sure Eddy will be okay eventually. He just has to sort some shit out."

Edd just looked at her sadly and fell back into the couch again.

"Hey do you want to yell "fuck" over and over real, real loud? It might make you feel better." asked Nazz trying to break him out of his depressed state.

"A little bit."

Edd woke up the next morning on the couch with a tie-dyed blanket thrown over him. He went to sit up but was instantly overcome with a burst of nausea. The nausea was only overshadowed by his splitting headache. He laid back and remained perfectly still. He remembered last night, but wished he didn't. He made a complete fool out of himself. He looked over at the coffee table and saw a glass of water and a bottle of aspirin.

He got up slowly and took the morning one step at a time. He left Nazz a note about eleven when she still had not gotten up yet. He walked back home and stumbled to his room. He turned his record player on and laid back in bed. While debating on whether to get up and get things done or continue lying in bed, he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. It was Kevin.

"Good morning. How are you feeling?" asked Kevin.

"I feel like I am dying." groaned Edd.

"I've been there. Have you drank some water? You need to get re hydrated."

"I have."

"Good. Do you remember last night?"

"Unfortunately."

"Ha. It's okay, dude. Like I said, I've been there. Just take it easy. Dad and I should be home later this afternoon. Can I see you?"

"You may have to use a Ouija board, because I will have died by then. But yes, you may."

"I promise you won't die. And if you feel like throwing up, just do it. You will feel better."

"Okay...Bye. I love you."

"Love you too." said Kevin and hung up the phone. He burst into laughter.

"What's so funny, kid?" asked his dad. They were in his dad's truck, that had quite frankly seen better days, driving down the interstate.

"Nazz may have given Edd his first drink last night."

"Oh god, I would have paid to see that." said his dad with a deep laugh, "I mean...you kids shouldn't be drinking. Blah blah parenting crap blah blah."

"Yeah, yeah." laughed Kevin.

"I knew you two were going to be a bad influence on him." laughed his dad, "I think he's still a good kid though."

"Yeah..." smiled Kevin.

"I'm glad you found him, Kev."

"Me too."

When Kevin got into the city limits of Peach Creek, he texted Edd. He couldn't wait to see him. It was dark outside when his dad finally pulled his truck into the garage. Kevin didn't even bother getting his worn duffel bag out of the truck, he went straight to Edd's. As Kevin walked up the drive, he saw Edd open his front door. Kevin tried not to run to him. Edd closed the door quickly as Kevin walked in.

"I missed you so much." said Edd as he buried his head in Kevin's hoodie and absorbed his scent.

"I missed you too, Edd." He said as he pulled him close. "Although it sounds like you had a good time with Nazz."

Edd pulled back with a conflicted look on his face, "Well I enjoyed hanging out with Nazz...up until I made a complete fool out of myself..."

"Ha trust me, I've seen worse. How was your first hangover?" asked Kevin as he and Edd sat on the couch.

"It was terrible. To be honest I still have a little bit of a headache."

"Poor baby." teased Kevin.

"So tell me about your trip. How was it?" said Edd trying to change the subject, because he no longer wished to dwell on the events of the previous night.

"Um, it was okay I guess." shrugged Kevin, "I mean family is family, ya know? A lot of them asked if there was a girl in my life, if I had picked a college and what I planned to do with the rest of my life."

Edd sat down on the couch, "A girl? Did you tell them...anything?"

Kevin sat down and looked at him seriously, "No...I can't."

Edd had been having thoughts lately about whether or not Kevin would be able to come out even after graduation. Sometimes, the way he talked, Kevin made it seem like they would be hiding their lifestyle forever.

Kevin noticed the change is Edd's expression, "What's the matter?"

"Will you ever?" asked Edd nervously.

Kevin's face fell a little at the question, "I mean why does it matter, Edd?"

"It matters. To me. I mean I get that we are waiting until graduation to let everyone know, but my parents know and so do yours. And your family is umpteen hours away...I mean what would it have mattered?"

"Because they aren't going to be okay with it, Edd! You don't seem to get that. I'm glad that your family is all open minded and cool with the fact that you're gay, but mine won't be!"

"I'm just asking...are you ever going to be able to tell them? I mean we are planning a life together. What-.."

"Edd, I just got home. Can we please just have a nice evening? Drop it."

"Fine." said Edd a little coldly.

Kevin let his temper get the best of him. "You don't get it. Seriously, explain to me what difference it makes."

"If you said it...it would mean that you aren't ashamed of me."

Kevin stared at Edd for a moment before pulling him in for a deep passionate kiss. Edd submitted to Kevin. He pushed Edd onto the couch and kissed him more fiercely than he had in a while. Kevin whispered in his ear, "I'm not ashamed of you. I'm never ashamed of you. And don't you forget it." he said and then gave Edd a small bite on his neck.

Edd shivered with pleasure and pushed his questions aside so that he could take in the moment. This moment that he wanted to last forever.


	15. Chapter 15

"Eddward, can I ask you something?" asked Mrs. Greene, Edd's AP chemistry teacher. Edd was in her classroom working on a project for class during lunch.

"Yes?" asked Edd warily.

"Is everything okay? You have been in here every lunch break for a couple of months now. I just want to know if everything is okay...If maybe you are hiding out...or...?"

Edd felt embarrassed and apologized to her sincerely, "I am so sorry. I did not mean to inconvenience you..." He started gathering his things.

"No! That was my fault. There was a misunderstanding. I don't care that you are in here. Heck, it beats being in here by myself, but I was just making sure that everything...was going okay... you know? Like nobody is picking on you."

"No more than usual." said Edd flatly.

"So you are being bullied." said Mrs. Greene.

"I guess... I've been dealing with it for years though. It doesn't really get to me anymore."

"Eddward, nobody should have to put up with that. I can go to the principal with you."

"It would only make things worse. And that is not the reason why I don't go to the cafeteria for lunch. I have no one to sit with."

"I thought you sat with your friends? I have seen you in there before."

"They aren't really my friends anymore..."

"Oh no. What happened? If you don't mind me asking. And just so you know, anything you say here will not go any further than these walls."

Edd blew at a sigh and looked at the woman. She was a very pretty woman. Her shoulder length blood-red hair fell in loose waves around her face. She wore glasses, but they made her look fierce and intelligent. Edd needed someone to talk to. Anyone. And maybe that was why the words fell out of his mouth like they did.

His words came our rapidly and he almost forgot to take a breath, "Well my former friends do not approve of my choice of boyfriend. Well one of them does not approve, the other just follows what the first does. I tried to keep it a secret, but they found out anyway. Which is another reason why they are angry, because I kept it a secret. And now I don't have anyone to talk to at school, because when I'm at school I have to pretend that my boyfriend is a complete stranger. And I thought that things would be different after Christmas break, but the aren't. It's the same thing day in and day out." Edd finally stopped for some air, "I had such a clear picture of what this year was going to be like when the school year started, and nothing has gone according to plan. I did not plan on falling in love, losing my best friends, or falling apart in front of my instructor."

"I wouldn't say you are falling apart, Eddward. I think you are just stressed. It sounds like you have a lot on your plate. And the school year is almost over, then you and your boyfriend can do whatever you want. I understand wanting to keep it quiet here. I hear what goes on in these halls."

"Graduation just feels so far away." sighed Eddward.

"But you are almost there. Its already February." smiled Mrs. Greene.

"Thank you for being kind to me. I didn't realize that I had so much bottled up." said Edd.

"People usually don't...but just so you know, you have an ally in me. If you ever need to talk about anything. Not just personal stuff, but anything. Now tell me about your project." she said and listened intently as Eddward explained the project out in front of him. Currently he was working on a poster board to aid in his presentation.

"You are very intelligent, Eddward. Where all have you applied to go to college?" she asked. Eddward listed off about ten schools.

"I'm glad to hear that you applied to Green Apple College. My sister went there. I think you should strongly consider it when you start getting your acceptance letters in. Not only is it a wonderful school, but they have a very strong LGBT community there. My sister ended up staying there after she met her wife."

Edd told her he would consider it and they talked for a while before the bell rang. Edd walked to his next class and went through the rest of his day like he usually did. Quietly, just trying to make it through. At the end of the day, Edd went back to his locker to get some things out. As one of the jocks passed by, they pushed him so that he fell against the locker, forcing him to drop everything he had in his hand.

"Out of the way, dweeb." said the jock as they continued walking.

 _Dweeb,_ thought Edd, _That's a nice change from some of the homophobic derogatory terms they usually call me._

After picking up his things, he put them neatly into his backpack before adjusting his glasses and starting his walk home. Edd was excited to get home so he could get ready for Kevin to come over. They were celebrating Valentine's Day a couple of days late since Kevin was preoccupied with a basketball game. Edd had been looking forward to seeing Kevin. The last month had been difficult. Kevin and Edd had started bickering, which was something that they weren't used to. Edd felt like Kevin wasn't really taking his studies seriously anymore. They argued about school and plans for the future. Kevin had been busy with his extracurricular activities too, which meant that Edd was seeing him less and less. It hurt. He ached for Kevin to just be there, be present, and for them not to argue.

On the opposite side of the parking lot, Kevin was getting into Nazz's car.

"So are you seeing Dee tonight?" she asked as she tossed her backpack in the back seat.

"Yeah. He has something planned." he said as he flopped down in the passenger's seat.

"So you guys are okay?"

"Yeah why wouldn't we be?" asked Kevin as he raised an eyebrow.

"I'm just saying...you two have been fighting lately...I'm a little worried."

"We haven't been fighting..." started Kevin but stopped mid-sentence, "I mean we have been arguing a little..."

"A little?"

"I mean...well maybe a little more than little. I've just been on edge lately. I'm so sick of having to have everything planned out. I mean I'm supposed to have my whole future planned out in front of me and I don't even know what I'm doing tomorrow! Meanwhile, Edd has it all together. He has plans and back up plans and lists and... God, I would kill for a cigarette."

"I think that is half your problem. I think you are just grumpy because you've gone a while without cigarettes."

"I mean you have too. Why aren't you grouchy?"

"I mean..." she said and drummed on the steering wheel.

"You jerk! You've been smoking haven't you? I thought you were going to quit too."

"What can I say? I have no discipline. I cracked after two weeks." she said and pulled out the carton that she kept in her car.

"Hide them or I will smoke them all." he said and turned away. He had been trying so hard not to smoke. If he smoked, that was just one more way he had failed Edd.

They arrived at the cul-de-sac not to long after that. Kevin went home and picked around at some homework before closing the books to go play video games. When it was finally gotten dark, Kevin walked the short distance across the cul-de-sac. He opened the door to Edd's house without even knocking and threw his coat on Edd's couch.

"I'm in here!" yelled Edd from the kitchen. He was finishing up some kind of chicken dish.

"Hey, babe." said Kevin and wrapped his arms around Edd from behind. He held him for a while as Edd was finishing up cooking on the stove. Edd was silent and just enjoyed the moment. He had missed Kevin so much.

"I may have made too much food. I think I got ahead of myself." laughed Edd.

"It looks great." smiled Kevin as he looked over the table in the kitchen.

They ate in relative silence, making small talk here and there. They had decided not to give each other gifts, but instead focus on spending the evening with one another. They curled up on the couch.

"Hey, Edd." said Kevin as he wrapped an arm around Edd's shoulders.

"Hmm?" answered Edd.

"I'm sorry I've been so grouchy lately. I will try to do better."

"I'm sorry I've been so demanding."

"You haven't been demanding. You are just preparing."

Kevin pulled Edd in tight and kissed his forhead. Edd was enjoying the closeness so much. He felt warm, safe and loved. Kevin laid his head back on the sofa and tried to enjoy the moment but couldn't get stressful thoughts out of his head. The only thing that snapped him out of it, was Edd's soft snoring. Kevin smiled and tried to match his breathing with Edd's. Finally Kevin's arm fell asleep and tried to shift it to get some relief. Edd woke up and looked up at Kevin with those big blue eyes. They made Kevin's heart skip a beat. Kevin couldn't resist himself and starting pulling Edd's clothes off right there and then.

Kevin woke up the next morning before Edd did, which was something that rarely happened. They had the best sex they had ever had the night before and they were still wrapped up in one another. Kevin tried to slip out of bed but Edd was such a light sleeper that his eyes popped open.

"Sorry...I was trying not to wake you." said Kevin.

"It's okay... I was kind of awake anyway..." Edd smiled, "I missed this..."

"I did too. Why have we been arguing so much?"

"I think it's because we haven't seen each other as much lately." said Edd and laid his head on Kevin's chest. Kevin started stroking his hair.

"I think so too... We have got to be better about that."

"Kevin?"

"Yeah, babe?"

Edd sighed and worked up the courage to say what was on his mind, "I don't know if our relationship would last if we went to different schools."

"I thought about that too...And I would have said "No we can make it!" but..."

"Absence does not make the heart grow fonder." finished Edd.

"I don't think so." agreed Kevin. "So what are you suggesting?"

"That we stick together."

"Sound like a perfect plan." said Kevin and pulled himself onto Edd, so they could reenact the night before.


	16. Chapter 16

Kevin and Edd had made it more of a priority to see each other, and that made the arguing stop. Kevin and Edd had decided that they would both go to State, since being apart hurt their relationship. They planned to get an apartment and come out together the day after graduation. With those plans in mind, the weeks started flying by. Before the knew it, it was already April. Seniors were asking each other to prom and making summer plans. Edd kept his headphones in most of the time to drown out all of the noise. He had no interest in the things they were talking about. It wasn't like he could go to Prom and he couldn't care less about any of their summer plans.

Edd walked home and enjoyed the beautiful spring weather. He stopped by the mailbox and found three starched white envelopes with his name on them. His heart dropped and he ran inside quickly. One was for Green Apple College, one was for Ivy University, and the other was for State. Edd opened the State envelope for State first.

Accepted.

And that was the one that mattered right? That was what he and Kevin had decided on. But he opened the Green Apple College envelope next...just to see.

Accepted.

Wonderful. With a shaky hand he opened the last envelope. He was so nervous to see if he had made it into Ivy University, one of the most selective and sought after universities in the country. He scanned the words and read them out loud to himself.

Tears burnt his eyes...

"Rejected?"

How could have been rejected?! He had perfect grades! He scored an almost perfect score on the SATs. He couldn't understand it. Edd took a deep frustrated breathe and read the rest of the letter. They wrote that while Edd was an outstanding candidate, he did not stand out from the crowd. What did that even mean? Edd took out his phone and called his mother.

"Eddward? Is everything okay? You don't usually call at this time..." said his mother after a couple of rings.

Edd attempted to keep his voice from breaking and tried conceal his crying, "I got...a letter from Ivy today... I was rejected."

"Oh Eddward..."

"I don't understand. My grades are impeccable!"

"Son...A school like that has thousands of applicants with impeccable grades. It's usually the extracurricular activities that set them apart."

"They did say that I did not "stand out from the crowd"..."

"I know it is hard, but..."

"I need to go. Thank you, mother." said Edd and hung up. Now he was mad at his mother. He didn't want her to be reasonable or tell him why he didn't get in. He wanted her to be just as frustrated as he was. He let the tears fall after that. He knew he shouldn't be that upset but the rejection stung. Bad. It felt like a slap in the face, because he had worked so hard for so long. He was so distracted reading the letter over and over that he didn't even hear Kevin open his front door.

"Babe? What's wrong?" he asked as he dropped his backpack by the couch.

"It's nothing." he said and wiped his eyes. He crumpled the letter and got up to throw it away.

Kevin grabbed his arm, "Hey. Sit down. Talk to me."

Edd jerked his arm away and threw the letter in the garbage. He walked back and sat down. After wiping his eyes on his sleeve he looked at Kevin.

"So are you just not going to tell me why you are upset?"

Edd blew out a frustrated sigh, "If you must know, that was a letter from Ivy University. A rejection letter to be more specific."

"Oh, Edd..." he said and put his hand on Edd's.

"Mother said it was probably my lack of extracurricular activities. This is ridiculous."

Kevin pulled his hand away and tried to think of something supportive to say but he was coming up with nothing. "Edd...I understand that rejection is a bummer, but why are you so upset? I thought you weren't even going there."

"I wasn't...I mean if I was accepted..."

"What?" asked Kevin.

Edd shrugged, "I maybe would have thought about it."

"I thought we had a plan." said Kevin.

"We did. I mean, we do! It's just..."

"Are you having second thoughts about State?"

"I don't know...yes? I always picture myself going somewhere else. And I always pictured myself going to Ivy."

"Well, did you get accepted anywhere else?"

"Green Apple." said Edd plainly and picked up the letter.

"Then you can go there. Didn't you say that was a good school too?"

"But then we won't be together."

Kevin sighed, "I don't have to go to school, Edd. I've told you this a thousand times. I don't really want to go. I was just going so you wouldn't be disappointed in me. We could go anywhere. You could go to school. I could work."

"I can't be the reason you don't go to school!" exclaimed Edd.

"You wouldn't be! Why are you even so obsessed with me going to school?"

"Because I want you to be somebody!" Edd blurted out. He immediately regretted his choice of words but they just flew out of his mouth. Which was happening more and more lately.

"What? If I didn't go to school then I wouldn't be good enough for you?"

"That's not what I meant..."

"Sure it is! That what it all comes down to, is it? I'm not good enough for you unless I have some sort of paper that says I went to college."

"Kevin, stop." pleaded Edd. They stood there in silence and it was obvious to Edd what he needed to do. "I didn't realize how badly I didn't want to go to State. And I can't be the reason that you make big life decisions...I don't think this is going to work."

"What's not going to work? Are you fucking saying we should break up, Edd?"

Edd felt the tears rise in his eyes again. "...I don't know."

"I think you do know." said Kevin and grabbed his backpack. He slammed the door hard behind him. The sound made Edd jump. He burst into sobs when Kevin left. What did he just do?

The next morning, Kevin turned his alarm off. He didn't sleep at all the night before. He just kept thinking about Edd and what he was going to do. To be honest, he wasn't even really sure if they had actually broken up. When he thought about their exchange, his temper flared up again. Where did Edd get off? Saying that he wouldn't be somebody if he didn't have some fancy piece of paper that cost thousands and thousands of dollars to get...

Kevin slammed things around all morning as he got ready. He went outside and Nazz was already in her car waiting. He closed the passenger's side door of her battered car.

"Ugh...I'm so ready for saturday night."

"Yeah..." said Kevin and cleared his throat, "I think it may just be me and you."

"Why? Is Double D busy or something?" she asked as she shot him a confused look.

"Um...I think Edd broke up with me last night."

"What?! And what do you mean "think"?"

"He got rejected from Ivy and he was super fucking upset about it. Then he told me he doesn't want to go to State anymore. I told him that was fine. And he pretty much told me that he wouldn't fucking date me if I wasn't in college." said Kevin, knowing he was exaggerating slightly. But that was how it felt to him.

"Oh my god. Kevin I'm so sorry."

"It's okay I guess. And I stormed out of there but he never called or texted. So I don't know...I think this may be it."

"Fuck...Well this is going to be one hell of a day." she said and put the car into drive.


	17. Chapter 17

Edd and Kevin spent the next week trying to avoid each other. They did not look at each other in the hallway or in gym, they did not call or text. Nothing. Edd was feeling increasingly lonely. He ran the scene in his head over and over. He obsessed over the things he should have said and what he could have done different. He still loved Kevin and they couldn't break up like this...they just couldn't.

Maybe he could fix this.

Edd found himself in study hall racking his brain for ideas. He started to write a letter. Speaking eloquently when he was nervous had never been one of his strong suits, so he decided it would be best to simply write a letter and drop it off at Kevin's after school.

 _Kevin,_

 _I still love you._

 _I think we should talk about us._

Edd rested his head on his arm and blew out a quiet sigh. He had no idea what to say to the red head. The whole situation had just been blown out of proportion. Maybe he could just say that. Maybe he didn't need the letter or some big fancy gesture. Maybe he just needed to be direct. Edd pulled out his phone since the teacher he had for study hall couldn't care less about phone usage. He texted Kevin.

On the other side of the school, Kevin was in English. He was letting his mind wander as his teacher droned on and on about Greek tragedies. He felt his phone vibrate in his pocket.

Double D: Kevin, I'm sorry. I think this whole situation just got out of hand. I don't need you to go to college to be proud of you. I was just upset and I've just been stupid for not telling you that. Can we talk about it after school?

Kevin felt happiness for the first time in a week. He enthusiastically texted back.

Kevin: I would like if we could talk. Meet at ur place after school?

"Mr. Barr. Put that phone away." scolded the teacher.

When the bell rang for lunch, Kevin made his way through the crowd. He weaved his way through the crowded hallway. He walked outside and started across the sidewalk to make his way to the cafeteria but was stopped by Michael and Jack.

"Man, we need to talk." said Michael and pushed Kevin.

"What the fuck, Mike?" asked Kevin as he pushed back.

"I'll tell you what the fuck. Are you a queer?" said Michael as he held a sausage-like finger up to Kevin.

"What in the hell are you talking about, man?" said Kevin thinking quickly. Anxiety spread through his chest and down to his finger tips.

"I sit next to that Vincent kid in study hall and he was writing some kind of letter that said that he loved you." accused Jack.

Kevin froze for a moment.

 _What the fuck, Edd?_ he thought to himself. He knew Edd probably didn't think anyone was looking at him, but still. For someone so smart he could be so dumb.

Michael had a disgusted look on his face, "I couldn't believe it when Jack texted me that. And here you are at a loss for fucking words. That's sick man. We shared a locker room with you. I should have known something was up when I saw you two at the movies forever ago."

"Man, fuck off. I was just surprised is all. I'm not gay. And I can't help it if Vincent has a thing for me. I was just being nice to him. The dude has tutored me all year, he's the only reason I'm passing." said Kevin.

 _Oh my god...what am I doing?_ Kevin panicked.

"You aren't shitting me are you?" asked Michael looking skeptical.

"No. I'm not shitting you." said Kevin.

"Man we should have known better. We are going to kick that fagot's ass." laughed Jack.

"Hey, don't do that. There is no reason for us to get in trouble for beating him up and not be able to go to prom or graduate or something." said Kevin.

"Yeah maybe you're right." said Jack.

Kevin felt the fear alleviate a little. It was going to be okay. Besides that only had a few weeks left of school. They were going to be okay. Guilt started replacing the fear though. He basically just outed Edd. But he just couldn't say it. Not here. Not now. It needed to stay his secret for a little longer.

Later, Edd found himself exasperated as the bell rang signaling it was time for his last class of the day. He drug himself out of his desk and towards the gym. As he was walking he saw some of the kids looking at him and whispering. Which wasn't out of the ordinary but they were doing so with more enthusiasm than they usually did. Edd snuck into the bathroom and put on his gym clothes. Through the whole class he felt like he was getting more attention than usual. Something was different. Edd shook off the thoughts though, he was just excited to Kevin after school.

After what had seemed like forever, the bell finally signaled the end of school. Edd shrugged back into normal clothes and adjusted his hat and glasses on the way out of the bathroom. He was taken aback when he saw that there were still five guys standing there almost like they were waiting on him.

"Excuse me, gentlemen." said Edd as he tried to walk by them, one of the larger ones with blonde hair whose name Edd couldn't remember, pushed him hard against the concrete wall. It knocked the wind out of him.

"I saw you writing a sick little love letter to Kevin." said one of the other jocks off to the side.

"I-i-i don't know what you are talking about." stuttered out Edd nervously.

"Don't lie, fag. Every time you lie, we are going to hurt you. Bad." said Michael and punched Edd straight in the face. His glasses cracked and fell to the side. Edd dropped the books he had in his hand and put his hands on his face.

"Now tell the truth." spit one of the jocks.

"What if I was writing a letter? What if I am gay?" said Edd angrily. He was so tired of being called names and being hit. He was so sick of all of this.

"That's disgusting in and of itself but then you try and turn Kevin. You sick little fuck." said Michael and punched him in the stomach.

"The only reason he isn't here kicking your ass is because he doesn't want to get in trouble. He can be a little bit of a pussy." said a jock and took a turn with Edd. He kicked him hard in the leg and Edd fell down to the ground and hit his head hard on the floor.

Edd was hurting and confused. ".. _.the only reason was because he didn't want to get in trouble? Did he say that?_ "

"Yeah he told us what was up, you little stalker!" said another and kicked him again.

The pain was intense in his leg and he was pretty sure his nose was bleeding. Michael, who seemed to be the leader of this, grabbed Edd's hat and grabbing a fistful of hair at the same time. Edd yelled out in pain. He tried to stand up. He was suddenly silenced by another swift punch to the stomach. His head hit the ground again as he fell. Another hard kick came but this time it was straight to his face. Edd could feel his nose crack. He tried to cry out but it came out as a whimper.

"Fucking pathetic." Edd heard one of the jocks say. The blows kept coming and the thought crossed Edd's mind.

 _I'm going to die here._

Then he heard Eddy's voice, "Get the fuck away from him!"

That was the last thing he remembered before he blacked out.


	18. Chapter 18

"Ed! Eddy! You have to help Double D!" Sarah's voice rang out to her brother and his friend. She was running from the gym to them as they were leaving school to go home for the day. Her dark orange ponytail flying frantically from side to side as she ran.

"What do you mean he's in trouble?" asked Eddy. He was worried. Even if it had been months since that had talked, that was still his friend.

"The jocks! I went to grab my bag out of the girl's locker room and I saw them! They cornered him! You have to hurry! I think they are really going to hurt him!" Sarah said hurriedly.

Eddy dropped his backpack and starting running for the gym. Ed passed him but Eddy was running as fast as his short legs would carry him. Eddy saw the jocks gathered around someone on the ground and they were taking turns kicking him.

"Get the fuck away from him!" yelled Eddy when he finally reached the scene. Ed had already managed to pull Michael away and had socked him right in the jaw. Eddy may have been short but he was scrappy and a decent fighter. He started punching and kicking jocks to get them away from Double D. Eddy could hear someone yelling for them to stop. It wasn't until Coach Miller was in Eddy's line of vision that he realized that he and another teacher were getting involved.

"Oh my god! What did you boys do?!" screamed out Mrs. Greene as she knelt to where Edd was laying. "Someone call an ambulance!"

Sarah took out her cell phone and called 911. She walked away from the scene so she could explain the situation to the dispatcher.

"What the hell happened here?!" demanded Coach Miller as he turned to Eddy.

Everyone was silent.

"Well?!" he demanded again.

"Those guys were beating on Double D. Me and Ed were trying to get them off of him." explained Eddy without taking his eyes off Double D. He looked bad. Real bad.

"Principal's office! All of you!" yelled Coach Miller. "Melinda, can you stay here with him while the ambulance is on it's way?"

"Of course." said Mrs. Greene and put her hand on Edd's. Eddy could hear her talking to Double D even though he was unconscious. Sarah joined her on the floor when she got off the phone. Eddy and Ed followed the coach to the principal's office. Principal Williams opened the door and was shocked to see all of the people outside his door.

"What's going on, Miller?" asked the principal who had his keys in his hand, obviously about to leave for the day.

"All of these boys were in a fight. These two." the coach motioned towards Ed and Eddy, "tried to pull Jones, Spear, Wheeler, Ramirez, and Crow all off Eddward Vincent. There should be an ambulance on the way. The kid is in bad shape, Principal Williams."

The group spent about an hour in the office explaining what had happened until the parents came to get them. Eddy couldn't get what the jocks had said out of his head. He had heard what the jocks said about Double D. And how Kevin was the one who said that Double D had a thing for him. That jerk. When he saw him...the fury radiated deep in his stomach. Eddy spent the car ride home steaming.

Once Eddy's dad pulled into the driveway after picking him up from school, he saw Kevin in front of his house. He was talking to Nazz. Eddy started walking towards them.

"I don't know, Nazz. He won't answer his phone." was all Eddy heard before he walked straight up to Kevin and punched him straight in the face.

"You son of a bitch!" yelled Eddy.

"Whoa! Dude, chill out." said Nazz and she grabbed Eddy's arm.

"He might die because of you!" yelled Eddy, "They had to take him away in an ambulance."

"What?!" exclaimed Nazz as Kevin stood there dumbstruck.

"Those jock friends of yours beat him into a pulp! He was bleeding and unconscious whenever Ed and I got there and pulled those assholes off of him! I hope you are happy with yourself, you bastard!"yelled Eddy. He pulled his arm away from Nazz with force and walked back towards his dad.

"Good shot, kid." said Eddy's dad who had been informed about the whole situation on the way home.

"Thanks, pop." said Eddy and walked into his house to wait until he was able to see Edd. His dad had called the hospital and had been informed that Edd was in the Intensive Care Unit and only family was allowed in the ICU.

Edd's parents arrived to the hospital later that night. They had hopped on the first plane they could after they received the call from the principal. Beatrice who was usually unemotional and stoic had tears slipping down her face as they spoke to the doctor. Sheldon held on to her to keep her steady as the doctor explained the situation.

"I'm so sorry, Mr and Mrs Vincent." said the doctor. He was a tan middle aged man with a slight European accent. "I wish there was more we could do for him. Eddward has a concussion and is in a coma. He has two fractured ribs. We have put the broken arm in a cast and set his broken nose. I'm afraid now all we can do is wait."

"When will he wake up?" asked Sheldon.

"I'm going to be straightforward with you two. He suffered many blows to the face and head. He is very lucky to be alive at all. But... It could be one hour, it could be one year...or he could never wake up..." said the doctor trying to be as tactful as he could while still trying to let them know how severe the situation was.

"Can we see him?" asked Beatrice quietly.

"Yes you can." said the doctor and lead them to Edd's room. Beatrice gasped when she saw him. His face was swollen and bruised. Almost the point where she couldn't recognize her own son. His raven hair was messy and matted with blood. She walked to his side and pushed it away from his face. He didn't react at all. He used to pull away when she did that. She was always trying to tame that unruly black hair.

"I will leave you two alone with your son. If you have questions or concerns. Do not hesitate to call me or the nurse." said the doctor and closed the door behind him.

Beatrice sat down on the chair beside the bed. She was on the side with the arm that wasn't broken and she took his hand. "Look at how injured he is. Sheldon...why would they do this to our son?"

"I don't know..." he said and put a hand on his shoulder. "But I am calling the lawyer in the morning. And the police. Those hooligans are going to pay for this."

That's how Sheldon dealt with things. He sprung into action. Beatrice wished she could be like that but at the moment all she could do was stare at her son. Her boy. Her intelligent son with the bright future. Now his future was so unclear.

It was another few days before Edd was moved from ICU to another floor. Ed, Eddy, and Sarah were the first ones to visit. Beatrice found herself thanking them for trying to help Eddward. Although she never really cared for her son's choice in friends, she couldn't help but feel gratitude. Nazz was the next to visit. She burst into tears when she saw Edd. His face wasn't near as swollen but his bruises were darker. Her visit was brief but she did talk to Beatrice for a few minutes. Sheldon had gone back home to get some things in order.

When Nazz got to her car called Kevin.

"How is he?" asked Kevin without even saying hello.

"He isn't good, Kev." she said through the tears, "He's not good at all. He's been in a coma. And he all battered and bruised...He doesn't even look like himself."

"Oh god, Nazz...Do you...Do you think I could see him?"

"I don't know...Eddy told Edd's parents all about the situation. His mother is still there. She won't leave his side. I don't know...I don't think you would be welcome." she said honestly.

"I fucked up." he said and broke into tears himself. Nazz had never heard Kevin cry and his quiet sobs made her heart break.

"I'll be over soon." she said and put the car into drive. She lit up a cigarette and drove in silence. Kevin was outside on his porch when she pulled into her house. She walked over and she handed him a cigarette out of her pack.

He took it. "I haven't smoked since Christmas...but I need one now."

"I know you do." said Nazz and sat down next to him.

"This is all fucked up."

"That's an understatement..." she said and passed him her bright pink lighter. "So I've been talking to Daniel. He said all of the guys involved were expelled. Some of them were his friends. "Were" being the important word... Mr. Vincent is also pressing charges. Assault."

"This is all my fault." said Kevin and a couple of tears slipped down his cheeks.

"You didn't know what they were going to do."

"Is he going to be okay, Nazz?"

She stayed silent for a long moment, "I don't know, Kev... His mom told me they don't know if he is going to wake up. They are just trying to keep him comfortable and doped up on pain meds."

"I wonder what would have happened if I just would have told them I was gay. Told them to leave him alone. I could have defended myself if they came after me, but Edd...he's can't fight. It was easy for me to get angry and tell my mom...why couldn't I do it when they confronted me? I'm such a piece of shit."

"You can't keep thinking like that. All you can do is try to make things right when he wakes up."

"You mean _if_ he wakes up."

"No I mean _when._ "

They sat on the porch in silence as they both finished their cigarette.

"I think I need to be alone." said Kevin.

"Call me later, Kev."

"I will."

Nazz walked home and texted Daniel.

Nazz: Come over.

While Nazz waited she started straightening up her house. She needed to move, because when she wasn't keeping her hands busy, she was crying. Fifteen minutes later, she heard her doorbell go off. She went and let Daniel in. He was about the same build as Kevin. Tall, muscular but had short brown hair. He had dark brown eyes and kept a little bit of scruffy facial hair.

"How's it going?" he said and wrapped her in his arms.

"Terrible." she said and fell into him crying.

He pulled her in a little tighter.

"I know. That was a stupid question. I imagine Kevin is about the same way."

"Worse. I've never seen him this upset before." she said and wiped her face on her arm. "Why would they do that to Edd?"

"They are jackasses... I mean I was surprised when you told me...but I can't believe they actually almost killed him." he said as they moved to the sofa.

"I can't either...I have to admit when I first found out what was going on, I thought you may have said something..."

"I would never betray your trust, Nazz." he said seriously.

"I know...It just took me by surprise...I just don't know what to do."

"You went to go see him today?"

"Yeah."

"Did Kevin go with you?"

She shook her head no. "Edd's parents don't want him there."

"Ah... I see. How bad was it?"

"Bad. He is all bruised and he won't open his eyes. He doesn't even move." she said.

"Well we will do all that we can do. We will hope for the best. And I can go with you tomorrow if you want to go see him again."

"I would like that." she said with a smile and gave him a lingering kiss.

Kevin was on the couch staring at the ceiling at his own house. He was running different scenarios through his head over and over. What would happen if Edd never did wake up? Or if he...died? Kevin shut his eyes tight when the thought crossed his mind.

Kevin's dad was still at work. He had been working overtime the last few weeks and usually didn't get home from the factory until late. So he was all alone in this big house with his thoughts. He got up to go get a glass of water. When he stood up his phone started going off.

It said "Mom" across the screen. He thought about ignoring it, but this was the first time she had called since before Christmas.

"Hello?" he said suspiciously.

"Hey... I know you probably don't want to talk to me and I know things have been awkward between the two of us, but I want to just tell you how sorry I am to hear about Eddward." she said sincerely.

"How do you know about Edd?" he said harshly.

"I work with some of the mothers whose kids go to Peach Creek. Word gets around. I didn't know it was Edd until they said the name today. I called your father to ask how you were doing... He said you were taking it hard."

"Yeah."

"Well...If you need to talk to someone...I'm here. I know I didn't take the news of your relationship well...But I can't stand to think about you hurting."

"Yeah."

"Okay well that's all I had to say. I love you, Kevin." she said and hung up before he could respond.

Kevin didn't know how to react to his mother calling him. There was still a lot of hard feelings. Maybe he could forgive her sometime. But today was just not the day.


	19. Chapter 19

It had been thirteen days since Edd had been moved from the ICU. Beatrice had been by his side almost every minute of every day. She would shift him around to keep him from getting bedsores, she would take a wash cloth to his face, she would read articles she thought he would find interesting, she would do whatever she could think of to make him more comfortable. It was about ten in the morning on Saturday when Nazz walked in.

"Hey Mrs. Vincent." said Nazz and she approached the bed.

"Greetings, Nazz." said Beatrice as she closed the cover of her iPad. "I was just reading him an article that my friend wrote. He is a psychiatrist. Eddward was thinking about going into psychology."

"Yeah he mentioned that to me before." said Nazz with a smile. "How is he doing today?"

"He's looking a lot better. See the bruises are almost faded away." said Beatrice with a half smile.

"I can see that. He is looking better everyday."

"He is so handsome. He has always been a handsome boy. Although he didn't think so. He used to cry over his birthmark when he was young." said Beatrice and motioned towards the spot. "He was such an emotional child."

"Really?" said Nazz as she sat on the couch opposite of Beatrice. Nazz had been there everyday since her first visit. Just listening to Mrs. Vincent talk. She repeated herself a lot, but Nazz didn't mind. She knew this had all been hard on her, and was willing to listen to Mrs. Vincent talk about her favorite subject. Her son.

"Oh yes. He was very sensitive. He once cried for two hours when he was four because he couldn't find his other shoe. I told him to go get another pair and explained to me that he needed that shoe so that the other one wouldn't be lonely. And it didn't matter how many time I told him that inanimate objects don't have the capability of emotion, he wouldn't stop until we found that other shoe. Then he-..."

"M-mom?" a voice croaked. Beatrice stood up so quickly that her chair fell over.

"Eddward?" she said with tears in her eyes.

Edd's eyes weren't open but his mouth opened to speak, "What?" His voice was faint and croaking. Nazz ran to get a nurse while Beatrice wept as she wrapped her arms around her son.

"You're...hurting me." he said and she pulled back a little. But only a little.

"Oh Eddward...I was so scared."

"Where?" He asked simply without opening his eyes.

"Eddward, do you remember what happened? Those terrible boys beating you?"

"No...I..." he said and nodded off again.

Beatrice began to panic, "Eddward?!"

The doctor that Nazz had retrieved put his hand on her should and she turned around, "It's okay if he fell back asleep. He may only have brief moments of consciousness at first."

Nazz slipped out as the doctor told Mrs. Vincent what to expect now that Edd was starting to come around. She couldn't wipe the smile off of her face. She dialed Kevin immediately.

"Hello?" he answered.

"Kevin! He woke up! For just a moment but he woke up!" she exclaimed.

"Oh my god! For just a moment though?"

"Yeah I listened to doctor talk to Mrs. Vincent for a moment. He said that it might take a little while for him to be awake for more than a few minutes at first. Kevin...I think he is going to be okay." Nazz said hopefully.

Meanwhile upstairs, Beatrice was in the hallways talking to her husband. He was going to rush down there as soon as he could. He had flown back to work to tie up some lose ends before he took a leave of absence, so he could be with Edd. Beatrice walked in the room after she hung up and touched Edd's face.

"Eddward, please open your eyes. Please." she pleaded with him. "I just need to hear you talk to me again."

He didn't open his eyes but his fingers did twitch. She grabbed his hand firmly in her own.

"Son, I'm here for you." she said and sat down.

It was nighttime before he spoke again. Beatrice had agreed to call Eddy when he had woken up. Although he was not completely awake, she went ahead and told him the good news. Everyone came down as soon as they could. So Ed, Eddy, Sarah and Nazz sat on the couch making awkward conversation as they all wished and prayed for Edd to wake up.

They had been there for a few hours before they heard Edd speak.

"Where..." he said confused, never opening his eyes.

Beatrice was at his side, "You're in the hospital, Eddward. Your friends are here." .

"Why...I don't..." he couldn't put together sentences. It was hard for them all to see Edd, who was usually so articulate, struggle to say simple words. His face twisted with concentration.

"Shh...relax..." she said. The doctor had explained that he might have difficulty speaking for a little while. And that he may be confused and get frustrated. It was not uncommon for patients to even get quite angry. So Beatrice was trying to keep him calm.

"Don't...under...stand." he said and tried to lean up.

"No, son. You need to relax." she said and gently put a hand on his shoulder.

Every one else was silent. They didn't know what to say.

"Hurt...I...hurt..." he said and then drifted back again.

Beatrice burst out into sobs.

"Hey guys, let's give her some space." said Nazz and led the others out.

"Oh my god..." said Eddy as they walked out towards the elevator.

"I know." said Nazz sadly. 

"Is he...ever going to be the same again, Eddy?" asked Ed.

"I don't know." said Eddy.

"I didn't know it was going to be that bad. I mean I saw them...the jocks I mean...I saw them start wailing on him. His head did hit the ground hard..." said Sarah. "If I ever see those guys again, I'm going to kick their asses!"

"You and me both, girl!" said Nazz and put an arm around Sarah.

"How's Kevin?" asked Sarah. Nazz had explained to Sarah the full situation one of the first nights that they had been up there together. They had been giving Mrs. Vincent a break so she could go home and take a shower and sleep on an actual bed.

"Not too great." said Nazz.

"Good." said Eddy hatefully.

"He's sorry Eddy...he didn't know..."

"Whatever." said Eddy simply.

After an awkward elevator down to the bottom floor, Nazz bid them all goodbye and went to go get something to eat. She wanted to bring back something for Edd's mom too. After grabbing a couple of sandwiches and chips from the shop across the street, she headed back to Edd's room. Beatrice was sitting on the hard couch in the room while the nurse was talking to Edd. Nazz crossed the room and sat next to Beatrice.

"I got you something to eat." said Nazz and handed Beatrice one of the brown paper bags. Beatrice looked at her and smiled. She looked tired and worn.

"Thank you, Nazz." she said and happily took the bag.

The nurse checked the IV that was in his left arm. "Looks good, Eddward." She said. Nazz wondered if Edd had regained consciousness again. "Can you squeeze my hand?"

Nothing.

"Eddward, try and squeeze my hand." repeated the nurse.

Still nothing. Edd laid their unresponsive. She moved down and put a hand on the bottom of his foot.

"All right, Eddward. Can you push down on my hand?"

Not even a twitch.

"All right, Mrs. Vincent. He's not responsive right now, but that doesn't mean he can't hear. So keep talking to him. If you need anything, just call."

Mrs. Vincent nodded. Once the nurse left, Beatrice leaned up and put her head in her hands. She looked so casual with her jeans and sweatshirt on. Her hair was sort of messy too. All of the formal pretense that Nazz had seen and been told about had gone out the window. After a long moment she leaned back and opened her brown bag and took her sandwich out of the wrapper.

"Thank you for the sandwich, Nazz." she said and bit into the turkey sandwich.

"It's no problem. I knew you were probably hungry. I knew I was." smiled Nazz.

They chatted while they finished the sandwiches. When they were done Beatrice started cleaning up the area.

"Mrs. Vincent, why don't you go home and rest for a few hours. I'm here and I'll call you if he comes around again." said Nazz as she crossed her legs on the couch.

"I should really stay..."

"I promise, the minute he does something, I will be on the phone with you." said Nazz with a hand crossing her heart.

"I could use a shower and a nap..." said Beatrice. She finally nodded after a few minutes of consideration and walked over to Edd's bed. She leaned down and kissed his forehead. "I'll be back soon, Eddward. I love you."

Things like this tugged at Nazz's heartstrings. Edd had always described his parents as not very affectionate. But she guessed that things changed when it came down to circumstances like this. Nazz pulled out her phone and texted Eddy first.

Nazz: He's completely back out again. Hes not responding at all. But they said that was normal.

Eddy: Thanks for letting me know.

Nazz: Ur welcome. I will update you later.

Then Nazz scrolled down to Kevin's name.

Nazz: Hey Kev. He hasn't responded in a little while now. But the nurse said that he could still hear. His mom went home for a few hours. Maybe you could finally come and see him. Talk to him.

Kevin: Idk...What if he dsnt want me there?

Nazz: I think he would...

Kevin: I'll be there in a few.

Kevin ran his fingers through his hair and tried to tame the mess on his head. He walked downstairs and started looking for his shoes. His dad was sitting on his couch eating from a fast food bag.

"Where are you going, kid?" asked his dad as he wadded up a burger paper.

"Um...I'm going to go see Edd." said Kevin nervously.

"Is he awake? I'll go with you." said his dad and leaned up to find his own shoes.

"No...he's not responsive...He talked a little bit this morning. But he didn't open his eyes and he's confused."

"Oh...I'm sorry, Kev. Do you still want me to go with you?"

"Nah...I'll go alone."

"Are you sure? It might be hard to see him like that."

Kevin shook his head, "I know but Nazz is there."

"Okay. Call me when you get there and when you are about to head home, okay?"

"Okay."

Kevin slipped his motorcycle helmet on and turned his bike around. He drove his bike down the road and felt the nervousness rise into his throat. This will be the first time he had seen Edd in almost three weeks. He didn't know what to expect.

Kevin pulled his motorcycle into the hospital and parked towards the front. He found himself walking slower and slower as he approached Edd's room. The halls were long and it was easy to get lost in the large hospital. Kevin had always hated hospitals. The fluorescent lights, the strange sterile smell, the general sense of sadness.

Finally, he made it. He pushed the door labeled "317" open and saw Nazz sitting on the couch. She smiled at him and then he looked to his right. There was Edd. Laying there. His bruises were mostly faded. Only splotches of yellow and pale purple remained across his face and arms. His right arm was in a cast and the left had an IV running through it. There was a heart monitor on him and he had a catheter bag clipped to the side of the bed.

Kevin was frozen and only moved when Nazz stood up and approached him.

"I know...it's tough to see him like this." said Nazz and wrapped her arms around him.

"He looks so frail ..." said Kevin.

"But the doctor said he can hear. Here sit next to him. We have been holding his hand when we talk to him."

Kevin sat obediently and held Edd's hand. It was cold.

"Hey, babe...Edd." said Kevin quietly. "I'm sorry I haven't come to see you before. I didn't know if you wanted to see me. I hope you aren't mad at me for coming. But I'm sure you will tell me if you are when you wake up."

He laughed a brushed a tear off of his cheek.

"I'll give you some privacy." said Nazz and slipped out the door.

"I missed you. Every day since we quit seeing each other. I've missed talking with you...touching you...laughing with you. You have to get better. Please. I love you so much. And I am so so sorry that I let them do this to you. I should have done better." when he said the last word, tears started flowing freely. "I should have protected you. What's the point of having a stupid meathead boyfriend if he can't keep you safe."

He laughed quietly and stroked Edd's hair with his free hand.

"I promise if you wake up...if you will have me... I will spend the rest of my life making this up to you. I love you so much Edd." said Kevin and kissed the back of his hand softly. That's when Kevin felt a weak squeeze. It was so weak, Kevin wondered for a moment if he had imagined it.

"Edd? Can you hear me? Can you squeeze my hand again? Please, babe." he begged. He felt it again. A light squeeze.

"Edd. Babe. Open your eyes for me." asked Kevin.

Nothing.

"Please, babe. I need to see you open your eyes."

Kevin sat there for a few minutes willing Edd to do something again. But he didn't. Kevin wiped his tears on his shirt and sighed.

"I promise I will come see you again soon." said Kevin and kissed Edd gently on the lips. Kevin walked out to see Nazz leaning up against the wall texting on her phone. She put it away in her pocket when she saw Kevin walk out.

"Hey, are you okay?" she asked seeing his red tear soaked eyes.

"No. No i'm not. But...he did squeeze my hand." said Kevin and smiled slightly.

"Oh really?! That's great!" she said excitedly.

"It was a soft squeeze but it was squeeze." he said. "I don't get it, Nazz. In the movies, people just wake up. I thought that he was going to just wake up and be his old self."

"Yeah I thought so too. But his mom explained it to me...in great detail." sad Nazz almost exasperatedly. "Brains are weird. And his took a beating. People never really wake up like they do in the movies. It's going to take a while for him to come out of it and we don't know what he's going to be like at first. They said he could be disoriented, angry, and have trouble remembering. He's going to need some therapy too. Just to be able to regain full control of his body."

"But he hasn't been out that long..."

"Still...He is going to need it."

Kevin fought the urge to punch a hole in the wall. He calmly hugged Nazz and walked away without saying anything. He thought it was best not to push his luck in case one of his parents came back, so he started walking out. When he made it outside, he called his dad.

"Hey did you just make it?" answered his dad

"No I forgot to call. I'm on my way home."

"You didn't stay very long..." said Joe.

"Yeah...his mom didn't know I was there. She ran home for a few and I didn't want her to see me. Besides...I couldn't stay long. It's...killing me to see him like that." said Kevin.

"I know, kid. Come on home, okay? We will talk about it then."

"Okay. See you in a few." said Kevin and climbed on the motorcycle. After putting his helmet on, he started towards home. It wasn't until he got to the front door of his house that he fell apart.


	20. Chapter 20

Another six days had passed with Edd repeating the same behaviors. He would move his hand here and there. A few times he had even moved his arms and tried to pull at tubes and wires. And sometimes he would even say a handful of words before drifting back off. He had only opened his eyes twice but he never actually looked at them or even kept them open for very long. Sheldon had come back, but spent very little time at the hospital. When Beatrice confronted him about, he said that he simply could not just sit there and see Eddward like that. Beatrice decided that she could be the strong one and stay by his side, because she knew where he was coming from. Nazz was still coming by every day and doing what she could to help. She would never know how much Beatrice appreciated her and even looked forward to her showing up.

At almost four on the dot, Nazz walked in and strolled to her usual spot on the chair. She greeted Mrs. Vincent and saw tape wrapped around Edd's IV in his arm.

"What's with the tape?" asked Nazz motioning towards his arm.

"He woke up for a little while today and tried to pull it out. So they taped it to where he could not get to it." said Beatrice tiredly.

"Did he open his eyes today?" asked Nazz hopefully.

"For a moment. But he didn't look at me. I don't think he was really seeing anything." said Beatrice and stood up. She reached for a comb and Nazz watched her run the comb through Edd's messy hair.

"Mrs. Vincent...I need to ask you something. I completely understand if the answer is no but I really feel like I need to ask."

"Go ahead, dear." nodded Mrs. Vincent.

"Kevin..and his dad. They were both really close with Edd. And I know they have been really wanting to see him. To talk to him. I know you are angry with Kevin but they both cared for your son very much. I know Kevin never intended for this to happen. He was just scared"

"I bet Eddward was scared when those boys did this to him." said Beatrice angrily and put the comb down on the table.

"I understand." said Nazz and crossed her legs. They sat in silence for a long time.

"I liked Kevin." said Beatrice finally. "Sheldon didn't but I did. I thought he was a perfectly nice boy. He wasn't what I expected Eddward to go for, but then again I didn't imagine him going for a male." she let out a small laugh, "It's so easy to blame him. And I know the whole story. I know that the terrible boys who did this found out before Kevin said anything. I know that. But still when I see Kevin or think of him, I get so angry. He should have protected him..." she touched her son's still arm. "But we could play the blame game for hours. We should have taken Eddward with us to Big Apple and none of this would have ever happened. I know...at the end of the day... that blaming gets us nowhere. And I know Kevin was frightened to admit his homosexuality...I just can't help how I feel."

"I realize that, Mrs. Vincent." said Nazz with an understanding nod.

"That being said...if they were to come when I went home for a couple of hours to see Sheldon...then I would be okay with that." said Beatrice and gathered her purse before kissing Eddward on the forehead.

Nazz took out her cell phone immediately and called Kevin to tell him that he and his father needed to come and see Edd. Joe and Kevin were there in twenty minutes. They must have flown across town to get there so fast. Kevin quickly took the seat next to Edd and grabbed his hand.

"Any changes?" asked Joe as he stood behind Kevin.

"He opened his eyes for a little earlier, but Mrs. Vincent didn't really seem to think it was much of an improvement. He did wake up long enough to try to take out his own IV."

"Ouch. So Bea went back home for a while?" asked Joe.

"Yeah." said Nazz.

"I can't believe she said it was okay for us to come here." said Kevin, never taking his eyes off of Edd.

"She knows you didn't mean for this to happen." said Nazz without going in to much detail.

"Edd...Hey, I told you I would come see you again." said Kevin and squeezed his hand. Kevin could hear Nazz and his dad talk but all he could was stare at Edd. He was willing him to wake up. When Kevin was about to let go of his hand, he saw Edd's eyes flutter open.

"I..." was all he managed to say, but his eyes were open. Not all the way but they were open.

Kevin put himself in Edd's line of vision, "Edd, hey. Babe are you here?"

"Wh..wh..what?" said Edd confused. Edd looked around but didn't really seem to be looking at anything.

"Edd, talk to me." said Kevin. Edd responded by squeezing his hand but said nothing. Nazz went outside to get a nurse.

"Babe, talk to me." repeated Kevin. Edd just stared off into space. A perky nurse with bright blonde hair walked in.

"Excuse me, hun." she said and squeezed past Kevin.

Kevin went and stood next to his dad and Nazz. The nurse took a light and shined it in Edd's eyes.

"Alright Eddward, squeeze my hand." said the nurse. A wide smile broke out on her face. "Very good, Eddward."

She went down to his feet and asked him to press down on her hand.

"Can you tell me your name?" she asked.

"Edd..." he said softly and slowly.

"Can you tell me your last name, hun?"

Edd squinted his eyes a little, "I...don't...know..."

"Hey it's okay. You'll remember. Can you take it easy for me, Eddward?" the nurse said brightly and turned towards the three by the door, "Okay. Well he isn't moving his feet and he isn't really reactive to the light but he did squeeze my hand. And he can recall his first name. So that's progress."

"Does he have amnesia or something?" asked Nazz.

"It's common for patients coming out of a coma to have trouble recalling information. It will come back to him in time." she said and walked out the door.

"I'm going to call his parents." said Nazz and followed after the nurse.

As soon as she walked out, Kevin went right back to his position by Edd. "Your name is Eddward Marion Vincent." he said and stroked his hair. Joe decided it would be best to wait out in the hall and give them a private moment.

"Your name is Eddward Vincent." he repeated. "You are eighteen. Your birthday is December 23rd. Your favorite color is orange." Kevin kept listing off facts like they were going to help him regain his memory. Eddward seemed to just stare off into space. He did so until he couldn't think of anything else to say then he just started repeating the same facts. Kevin was silently pleading with Edd to look at him. To look him in the eyes. But he just kept staring blankly at the wall.

Kevin felt a hand on his shoulder after a while. "Hey kid, we need to go. His parents are here and they need to have a moment with their son since he is a little coherent."

Kevin kissed the back of Edd's hand and walked with his dad past Edd's parents. He didn't look at them. He just kept staring at the floor, fighting back tears.

"He won't look at me." said Kevin to his dad and Nazz.

"It's going to be a while before he's back to normal, Kev." said his dad.

"I just need him to be himself again." said Kevin.

Nazz pulled him in for a big hug before the three of them left. In Edd's room Beatrice was talking to her son.

"Eddward, you opened your eyes. I'm so proud of you." she said.

"Son, talk to us." said Sheldon.

"I..." he said and looked at them. But that was all he said.

After a few minutes, Edd closed his eyes again and Beatrice fell into her husband sobbing. They were so exhausted. It was such a long road to recovery and he was making such small steps. They hadn't even made it home before Nazz called and said he was talking. They had gotten their hopes up just to have them squashed..

Sheldon stayed with Beatrice that night and held her as she fell asleep on his shoulder. He didn't sleep though. He couldn't.

About two in the morning, Edd woke up again. "Mmm..." he said starting to mouth out a word. Sheldon shook his wife awake and motioned towards Edd who was opening his eyes. Beatrice rushed towards her son and looked in his eyes.

"Mom?" he said. Tears ran down her face.

"Yes, son. Mom is here. Your father is here too."

"Fath...er" he sounded out.

"Yes." said Sheldon and smiled at his wife.

"Can't...where...am I?" he sounded out.

"You are at the hospital, son." said Beatrice

"I'm...hurt?" he asked.

"You were. You have been getting better. Do you understand?"

"No..." he said getting frustrated.

"Sheldon go get the doctor." said Beatrice and started stroking his hair. When she started doing that, he seemed to relax a bit. "Shh...It okay Eddward. It's going to be okay..."

The doctor came in shortly after with Sheldon. He did the grab test and shined the light in Edd's eyes. "Hey Eddward, are you going to talk for me tonight?" he said pleasantly.

"Who...are you?" he asked confused.

"I'm Dr. Randall. Do you understand that you are in the hospital?"

"...Y-yes." he responded slowly.

"Very good. Can you tell me your full name?"

"E-eddward...Vince..." he said and gave up on the last half of the word.

"Wonderful. Now I need you to rest for me okay Eddward?" said the doctor. Edd didn't respond.

"This is good news, Mr. and Mrs. Vincent. If he is responding and recalling information,this is a big hurdle that's behind us now. Little things are going to tire him out quickly. So he probably will need to still sleep most of the day. Also, he is going to be sensitive to loud noises. So be aware. I will come check on him during my rounds." said the doctor and nodded out.

Eddward did a little more before falling asleep. Every time he woke up he said a few more words. The next morning he moved a little bit more. Beatrice adjusted his bed so that he could sit up a little. The next day Nazz arrived for her usual visit.

"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Vincent." greeted Nazz as she walked through the door. She froze when she saw Edd turn his head towards her.

"You're awake!" she exclaimed and was immediately shushed by the two parents.

"He is sensitive to loud noises." explained Beatrice in a hushed voice.

"My bad." smiled Nazz embarrassed, "Hey, Dee."

"Hello..." he said slowly.

"Do you know who this is, Eddward?" asked Beatrice.

"My friend?" he said almost like it was a guess.

Nazz's smile faltered a little, "You don't know who I am?"

"Yes...but...I can't member your name." he said stumbling over his words and mispronouncing "remember".

"I'm Nazz." she said softly. She saw recognition on his face and he smiled slightly.

"Sorry..." he said.

"No don't be sorry. It's a weird name. It's hard to remember." she said kindly.

Edd smiled a little more then relaxed his face. "I'm tired."

Beatrice came up and started the familiar stroking of his hair. "He doesn't have much energy just yet." she explained.

"Have you called Ed or Eddy about him waking up yet?" asked Nazz.

"Not yet." said Beatrice.

"I can do it." said Sheldon and walked out of the room with Beatrice's phone so he could call them.

"Can I tell Kevin?" asked Nazz hopefully.

"Sheldon and I have discussed it. And yes it is fine if he comes to see him."

Nazz ran out to the hallway and called Kevin.

"Kevin, he's awake and talking!" she said not caring how loud she was being since she was a few doors down from Edd's room, "And Mrs. Vincent said she doesn't mind if you come see him."

"Oh my God! That's great! I'll be there as soon as possible."

"Hey...I need to tell you something first."

"What?" asked Kevin concerned.

"He is still not himself...he is confused and talking really slow. He couldn't even remember my name."

"Okay...thanks for the heads up." said Kevin and hung up. When Kevin walked through the doors about half an hour later, his parents stepped outside.

"Babe, can you wake up for me?" asked Kevin as he gently touched Edd's arm. Edd woke up and looked right at him. But his face showed no recognition.

"Hey. Do you know who I am?" asked Kevin gently.

"I...do...but..." said Edd confused.

"It's Kevin."

"Kevin." he repeated letting the word roll off his tongue slowly. "Kevin."

"That's it. I'm your boyfriend."

"Boyfriend..." he repeated again.

"Do you remember anything?"

"Not...much...Everything...it's fuzzy." said Edd.

"The only thing you need to know is that I love you and I am here for you."

Over the next few weeks, things starting improving.

Edd had missed graduation. He was still able to get his diploma though, even if he had missed a few end of the year tests. Mrs. Greene delivered his diploma and handed it to his parents since Edd was not coherent at the time. Edd had a rotation of visitors at all times. Ed, Eddy, Sarah, Nazz, and Kevin were constantly taking turns visiting him. Edd remembered a little bit more about Kevin slowly. And finally remembered their relationship. The only thing Edd had trouble remembering was the incident where he had gotten beaten.

He was walking more and more but he was weak and unbalanced. Every day he was able to speak more clearly and remember a little more. By mid june, he was allowed to go home. Although he would have to come back a few times a week for a little bit more physical therapy. Kevin waited for Edd to get settled in and went across the street to see him. He waited a few hours, but it was killing him. He wanted to see Edd right then. But he was patient. For a little while at least.

Mrs. Vincent was the one who let him after he knocked. "He's in his room" she said.

Kevin climbed the familiar staircase and walked to Edd's room. He was laying on his bed propped up by pillows reading a book. When he saw Kevin he closed the book and put it down to his side.

"Hey, Edd." said Kevin.

"Hello." said Edd and eyed him seriously.

"I'm so glad you're home." smiled Kevin.

"Me too."

"What's up? You seem...really serious.." asked Kevin.

"...I remembered something today. I remembered the incident." said Edd, who still spoke a little slowly but was speaking much more articulately.

"Oh... Are you okay?"

"I remembered... I remembered them beating me until the thought crossed my mind that I was going to die. And I also remembered them saying that the only reason you weren't joining them was because you were afraid of getting into trouble. Why would they say that?"

"Well..." said Kevin trying to put his words together. He decided it would be best to be honest, "They confronted me before they confronted you. And I told them I wasn't gay...and that...I couldn't help it if you had a thing for me."

"I see." said Edd plainly.

"I'm so sorry Edd. They said they were going to beat you up, but I told them not too. They agreed. I had no idea they were going to do this and I didn't know they were going to beat you so badly. I'm so sorry."

"I accept your apology." said Eddward, "But...I need to tell you that I am going to Green Apple if my health keeps improving. And I am going alone."

"So you don't want to stay together?" said Kevin trying to stay calm.

"No." said Edd simply, "I forgive you and I understand that they probably would have beaten me up anyway...but I can't forget them saying what they said. They said that you told them I was stalker. I can't forget that you couldn't just tell them...maybe it wouldn't have been so bad if you had just come out. There was only a few weeks of school left anyway. And I told them when I was confronted. Aren't you tired of all these secrets and all the lying all the time?"

"I just couldn't tell them Edd... I'm not brave like you. I couldn't take them turning on me."

"Well...that right there is the reason why I think it would be best to end our relationship. You need to figure some things out for yourself and I think I need to be alone for a while." said Edd a little coldly.

It was weird. He was being so direct and almost insensitive. That wasn't like Edd. Kevin wondered if the head injury had changed him. Or maybe he was really just that hurt by Kevin's actions.

"Can we still talk? Phone calls...texts...anything?" asked Kevin.

"I don't think that would be wise."

Kevin nodded and couldn't think of anything else to say. Without even saying goodbye, he walked out the bedroom door, and back to his house. It was over.

After all they had been through...It was over.


	21. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer: Nat Goldberg is c2ndy2c1d's.**

Edd watched as Ed, Eddy and his parents unloaded their vehicles packed with his things. The campus was beautiful. Trees lined the sidewalks and were surrounded by large ornate buildings. He took it all in. His life was about to change in the best way.

Edd tried to offer to help carry boxes, but nobody would let him help. Although he was pretty much recovered, they still treated him like he could break at any moment. Once everything was up in his dorm room, and everyone had said their farewells, Edd started meticulously finding a place for everything. He was so excited to see who is roommate was going to be and to walk around campus and find his classes.

He was almost completely unpacked when a boy burst through door with a box in hand. He had bright teal hair and a gold earring in his left ear. "Hello, roomie!" he chirped brightly.

"H-hi." said Edd a little awkwardly. Edd was intimidated by all of the boy's energy.

"I'm Nathan Goldberg, but just call me Nat. Actually I insist on it. I hate being called Nathan... What your name?" he said as he flung his box on the vacant bed.

"I'm Eddward Vincent...but I go by either Edd or Double D."

"Double D? You spell your name with two "D"s? That's cute! Double cute! Double cutie! I'm probably going to have a slew of nicknames for you, so get used to it." said Nat and dumped the box's contents out.

Edd heard is phone go off and saw it was Kevin's name. He was calling _again_. Edd had already let some calls go to voice mail and had yet to check them. He let this call go to voice mail too. While Nat was putting his things away, Edd decided to check the voice mails. He sat on his newly made bed and crossed his legs.

**Beep Beep Beep Beep**

"You have five unheard messages. First unheard message."

"Edd, it's me. Please call me back. I know you don't want to be together but I think we should just talk.."

"Message deleted. Next unheard message."

"Don't do this. Talk to me. Please."

"Message deleted. Next unheard message."

"Edd. Call me."

"Message deleted. Next unheard message."

"Edd, I came by today. I saw that the house is empty...You must have left. I wish I could have said goodbye."

"Message deleted. Next unheard message."

"Just know that I'm sorry."

"Message deleted."

"So...I have a rule..." said Nat as he plopped down on his bed, "If we are going to be roomies, you have to give me a play by play whenever there is stuff going on. I didn't mean to eavesdrop but it sounds like you had a man on the other end of that phone that you are ignoring."

Edd laughed a little, "You remind me of a friend back home. Her name is Nazz, you two would get along..."

"I get along with everybody. You will soon see that I am perfect." joked Nat, "But seriously what up with the dude? Is he your ex?"

Edd had decided that as soon as he got out of Peach Creek he was going to be very up front about his sexuality, "Yes he's my ex boyfriend. We were together most of last year."

"Nasty break up?"

"You could say that." said Edd.

"Do I need to get some popcorn? Because you are going to have to tell me everything of course."

Edd didn't know what it was, he just trusted Nat. He gave off a friendly vibe that Edd couldn't help but be attracted to.

Edd sighed, "I don't even know where to start."

"At the beginning. Double duh."

Double D gave an abridged version of his and Kevin's relationship leading up until the end.

"He sounds great. Now get to the juicy break up details."

"Well he was confronted...by the jocks. And when they asked him if he was gay and if we were together, he said no. He said that I just had a crush on him and there was nothing he could do about that."

"Ouch."

"Yes... Then they came after me. And they almost killed me."

"Like for serious? Or like "oh my god, I almost died when I saw him in those shoes."..."

"I was in the hospital from early April until June 16th."

"Wow..That is pretty serious."

"Yeah. They broke my arm, my nose, a couple of my ribs...I also sustained a brain injury. My head hit the ground twice and then they kicked me in the head a few times. I honestly thought I was going to die there." said Edd shaking slightly.

"So you told the guy to hit the road?"

"Pretty much. I told him that he needed to figure some stuff out and that I needed to be alone for a little while." nodded Edd.

"Wow I don't blame you. Well this has been a bonding experience. What do you say we hit the town tonight? Get familiar with the nightlife?"

"I'm not much on going out." said Edd and pulled a pillow to his chest.

"Well we are going to change that. There are some excellent gay clubs around here! Me and you are going to go make our marks! Dance...flirt..." said Nat and nudged Edd's arm. "It's good for your self confidence. And it sounds like you had a shitty summer, so you deserve some fun."

Edd wasn't sure what made him go out, maybe it was because he was trying to change. Trying to live more and enjoy life since it had almost been taken from him.

Very quickly Nat became Edd's best friend.

Edd was going to enjoy college.


	22. Chapter 22

"So what's the big news?" asked Kevin as he pushed his shaggy hair away from his eyes. Four years had passed since graduation, but some things never changed. Nazz was still his best friend, and he had never seen her so excited. They were in his shop where he repaired mostly motorcycles. He was covered in grease.

She held out her left hand to show a huge shining rock on her finger, "Bam bitches! I am getting married! Daniel asked me last night!" said Nazz.

"That's awesome, Nazz! I'm so happy for you. I would hug you but..."

"Yeah don't touch me. Air hug!" she said and they made a loose air hug motion.

"So when is the wedding?"

"We are doing a short engagement. We are getting married here in Peach City next month."

"That is a short engagement."

"Yeah I don't need the big fancy wedding and the big poofy dress. We are doing a simple ceremony in the park.. Hell you could wear jeans and t shirt for all I care."

"Ha...Sounds like your kind of wedding." he laughed and started wiping his hands on the dirty rag he had hanging out of his pants.

"Yeah...It's going to be small...but I was going to let you know...We are keeping the guest list small but I am going to invite Double D." she said trying to gauge his reaction.

"Oh...I mean that's fine. I'm fine. I haven't spoken to him in four years...I'm sure it will be okay."

"Are you sure?" she prodded.

"Of course. This is your wedding. It's about you, not me. And if you want to invite him, then by all means invite him." said Kevin with a smile.

"Okay. If you are sure. I will call you about the details." she said and started to head out the door.

"Oh! I forgot to ask you! Will you be my man of honor?"

"Man of honor? Is that a thing?"

"I could call you maid of honor if you want." she said and rolled her eyes.

"I would love to be your man of honor." he laughed. She smiled and waved goodbye.

They last four years had been kind to Kevin as far as appearances go. He had let is hair grow out and kept it pretty shaggy. He also had a short beard that he kept trimmed and tidy. Most of the football and basketball players he had gone to school with were married now, and most already had kids. The family life had put guts on them, but Kevin still had his muscular physique. He worked hard at his job and still managed to go running most days. His looks got him a lot of second glances from both women and men, but when Kevin moved to Peach City to open his own shop, he decided that he would be open and honest about who he was. He dated regularly and was very sexually active, but nothing ever lasted more than a month or two. When it came down to it, none of them were Edd. It was strange. Kevin felt like he didn't love him anymore, but yet still compared all the guys he went out with to him.

Kevin kept busy and the wedding sort of snuck up on him. He was surprised when Nazz reminded him a few weeks later. Nazz and Kevin were getting ready at his house. It was a small house, but it suited Kevin. He was able to put a down payment on it the year before and made it his own. Kevin was buttoning up his shirt when Nazz walked out. She had on a simple short white dress and had on her worn black converse. The dress showed off the swirly tattoo she had on her left arm. She had cut off her long hair earlier that year, so her hair was in a simple pixie cut under a white headband with a veil clipped to it.

"Nazz you look beautiful." said Kevin honestly.

"Thanks." she smiled.

"Are you nervous?"

"A little...but I'm ready to do this." she said and took a deep breath.

Kevin lived right across the street from the park. So they started walking that way. Kevin could see a small crowd gathered there around the big tree in the middle next to the pond. The park was so beautiful in the fall. The leaves hard turned already and fell gently to the ground as they made their way there. Daniel and his best friend Tom were already up at the front with the officiant. Kevin looked around at all the people standing around. He saw his dad and his new girlfriend towards the front. Ed and Eddy were there but it looks like they had come alone. Sarah was there with her boyfriend. Someone she had met at college. There were quite a few people he didn't recognize. Nazz wrote for the local newspaper, so he assumed some were coworkers. Some of Nazz's family was there, but the only one he really knew was her cousin. Her mom had passed away the year after they graduated in a car accident, so all Nazz had was her extended family. He kept scanning the crowd.

Then he saw him.

Edd.

Right there.

Still skinny with startling black hair. He was clean shaven and wearing a red button up shirt with dark blue jeans. He didn't have his hat on. Kevin mental slapped himself in the forehead. He was an adult now, of course he didn't run around with that hat anymore. And he did look like an adult. Like a man. He looked older and it suited him. His black hair was cut fairly short but was still long enough on top to cover his birthmark. He was laughing and talking with Ed and Eddy. There was a guy next to him with bright blue hair. Was that his boyfriend? Kevin felt a flash of jealousy that went away almost immediately.

 _He's not mine anymore_ , he thought to himself.

Kevin shook thoughts of Edd out of his head and focused on the task at hand. Getting Nazz to the front of the crowd. When everyone caught sight of Nazz, they parted ways to make a path that lead straight to the groom. Kevin made eye contact with Edd briefly but quickly played it off and looked at Nazz. He smiled at her. She really did look beautiful and he was so happy for her. The ceremony was short and sweet and they crossed the street to have a reception at a bar. The owner was a friend of Nazz's cousin, Jane, and so they were the only ones in there. Kevin talked with his father for a while before seeing Edd hug Nazz. He was introducing her to the blue haired guy.

"Are you going to go talk to him?" his dad asked.

"No." he said simply.

"It's been years, Kevin. You could at least say hi to him."

"Yeah I don't know about that..."

"Well if you aren't, I am." said Joe and crossed the bar to where they were at. He hugged Nazz. Then Edd. They were talking and Kevin felt strange just staring at them so he walked up to the bar and ordered a beer. Kevin almost jumped out of his skin when he hear a voice go, "So you're the infamous Kevin."

Kevin turned to see the blue haired guy. He was smiling widely at him.

"Uh yeah...who's asking?" asked Kevin as he wiped the spilled beer off the bottle.

"Ooo manly man. I like it. I'm Nat. Double D's best friend/roommate." said Nat and held out his hand. Kevin shook it and thought to himself, _So they aren't together..._

"Nice to meet you, Nat." nodded Kevin politely.

"I just had to meet you. I've heard so much about you over the years." said Nat with a mischievous grin.

"Oh...probably nothing good." half joked Kevin.

"Oh there was some good stuff in there. But Double D was holding out on me, he didn't tell me you were such a cutie." teased Nat.

"Um...thanks..." said Kevin awkwardly and took a drink.

"Soooo tell me about yourself Kevin. What are you up to nowadays?"

Before Kevin could answer, he saw Edd approach from behind Nat. Kevin felt his heart drop and the expression must of shown on his face because Nat turned around.

"Hey Double cutie! I was just talking to this ginger god..." said Nat and winked at Kevin.

"I knew you were over here harrassing him." said Edd crossing his arms.

"Harassing? Why, I am offended, Double Meanie." said Nat and feigned sadness. "Here I am just trying to make friends after you drug me all the way out here. I think I need a moment."

Nat walked away dramatically and the two turned towards each other.

"Sorry about Nat...he's quite the personality." said Edd and sat next Kevin.

"Yeah...I can see that." laughed Kevin."How have you been, Edd?"

"Good... Really good." answered Edd.

"That's great. Are you still going to Green Apple?"

"At the moment but I am thinking of moving to Lemonbrook next year. I'm finishing up my Master's Degree at the moment."

"Wow. Already?"

"Yeah...I took as many classes as they would allow me in a semester and went in the summer as well. I got my Bachelor's pretty quickly."

"Ha I shouldn't be surprised. So why Lemonbrook?"

"They have an excellent program where I could intern counseling at risk teenagers."

"That's awesome, Edd. I'm glad. I think you would be good at that." said Kevin with a smile.

"Thank you."

"How's your parents?" asked Kevin. He really wanted to know everything that Edd would tell him.

"They are good. They love living in Big Apple full time. Their research is going really well. How about your dad? I only talked to him for a moment."

"He is good. Still at the factory but he's in management now. He found himself a girlfriend. Paige. She's nice." said Kevin and motioned towards the middle aged brunette on Joe's arm.

"That's good. I'm happy for him. What about you? What have you been doing?" nodded Edd and avoided eye contact with Kevin. This was a little awkward.

"I own my own motorcycle repair shop. I get pretty good business. We do some custom art on the bikes too. I like it. I own a house about two blocks over. Well working on owning it."

"Oh wow. That's great." smiled Edd. It was the first time Kevin had noticed...his gap was gone.

"Hey what happened to your teeth?" asked Kevin bluntly.

"Oh...I got those invisible plastic braces my first year of college. I hated that gap." said Edd touching his mouth.

"I always liked it." said Kevin with a smile. "But you still look good."

"Thanks you too."

Kevin was getting tired of the small talk. "Hey, Edd. I just wanted to say...I'm sorry how things ended up between us."

"Now is probably not a good time to talk about all of that." said Edd motioning towards the party. Kevin felt his shoulders slump slightly but then Edd continued, "But if you wanted to meet up somewhere afterwards. I would be okay with that."

"Sounds like a plan. Meet me at the coffee shop at the end of the street when the reception is over?"

"I'll be there." nodded Edd and headed back towards Nat, who was currently joking with Eddy and making him a little uncomfortable.

Nazz cut the cake and got a little too drunk. So all in all it was a good reception. Kevin stayed close to his dad through most of the reception but never really took his eyes off Edd. He seemed so much more confident than he did in high school. He held himself a little higher and laughed a little louder. Kevin felt himself growing increasingly more anxious. He had no clue what their talk was going to do. Were they going to get back together? No...He couldn't let himself get that hopeful.

After the reception, everyone dispersed and Kevin wandered down the street. Edd was already there and was waving away his friend, Nat. As soon as Nat walked away, Kevin and Edd made eye contact. Edd smiled and waved. They walked into the tiny shop, ordered their coffee and carried it to a table in the corner.

"I'm glad you were willing to talk, Edd." said Kevin as he sipped at his black coffee.

"Well to be honest I've wanted to talk to you for a while...I've just been nervous. We didn't really end on a good note. And that was my fault... I was just so angry. I-.."

Kevin interrupted, "No it was my fault. I was a stupid kid. I could have done so much more..."

"Well I should have been more understanding. Like I said, I was angry. I had spent so long in the hospital...and to be honest it was really scary. I remember waking up and not even knowing my last name. I remembered blurry faces leaning over me. I had lost weeks of my life. When I started recovering, I had so much anger. Towards the jocks and towards you. And it wasn't fair."

"But I got where you were coming from. You needed someone you could trust. Someone that wasn't going to try to keep their gayness a secret forever. I get it. But I've got to tell you, there hasn't been a day that's gone by that I haven't thought about you. I can't hold on to a relationship, because nobody can compare to you. Edd...I still love you. I never stopped."

"I never stopped loving you either." admitted Edd.

"This may be forward...and it may be too much to ask...but could we give it another shot?"

"I think we have both changed a lot...we aren't the same people..."

"I would love to get to know you again, Edd."

"Can we take things slow?"

"As slow as you want." smiled Kevin.

Edd placed his hand on top of Kevin's and looked him straight in the eyes, "I would like that."

"Me too."

 **The End**


	23. Author's Note

**Note from the author:**

 **Hey guys! Sorry to not update in so long, but I did drop all the final chapters at once. :)**

 **It's been a rough start to the year and I haven't had much time to be around my computer. I also had a little bit of trouble with writer's block. But when I got a chance, I was writing on my phone or in a notebook. So I just now got a chance to actually type it out and edit it a little.**

 **I enjoyed writing this fic so much and I hoped you guys liked it as well!**

 **I have been playing around with starting another fic. I have been a little obsessed with reverse Edd. You know - dark and bad boy Edd. But I've never really been a fan of reverse Kevin. I have been playing around with a darker fic about reverse Edd and regular Kevin. I have also been toying around with a sequel to "Secrets".**

 **Anyways, thanks for reading!**

 **Much Love!**

 **-Lovely Dork**


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